Reflection
by Gothic984
Summary: Gail reflects on how her decision to remain in Trinity has impacted her life, while Lucas has to deal with another candidate for Sheriff.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories Emotion, Old Friends, Family and Difficult Decisions.

It was a hot, bright, late June summers morning in Trinity SC. The warm early morning breeze rustled the dry leaves on the trees surrounding Gail Emory's house and the songs of the morning birds could be heard all around.

Gail sat comfortably on her porch swing wearing a small white pair of cotton shorts and a small maroon vest, with her long brown hair draped loosely over her shoulders. She was admiring the calmness of the morning with a fresh cup of herbal tea in her hand, before she would have to get ready and make herself presentable for the day. It had been over three weeks since she had inadvertently chosen to stay in Trinity and she was reflecting on how that decision had impacted her life, to take her mind off the upcoming anniversary of her parent's deaths.

After Gregory had returned to Charleston, it did not take long for Gail to receive a formal letter terminating her current contract with the Charleston Post. Gail had to laugh at how little her previous loyalty to the Post counted in their decision, or she would have cried. A few days later she had received a text message from her old boss Barton, offering her the opportunity to still provide them with articles on a self employed basis and they would pay her well for each individual story that was published. It was evident that Barton had felt guilty over how the matter had played out and was trying to give her something to hold on to.

Gail was not weak or stupid, she had saved more than enough money over the years to enable her to look after herself and her cousin comfortably, she certainly did not need hand outs. Gail had turned down several offers from different newspapers in the past and knew she was more than capable of finding a new employer; however, at this moment in time she was trying to be content with doing nothing and making the most of the time she had to herself, although this was not in her nature.

It appeared to Gail that Lucas was trying to make the situation work for him, as he had offered to step in and make it clear that he would not let her worry financially. That little display of dominance had resulted in her disregarding him for over a week, which prompted her to consider what she hoped to gain from their unusual relationship.

The one thing Gail hated the most was pity and she would not allow anyone to mistake her as vulnerable. Even Billy had attempted to offer her council and support, believing she was not capable of looking after herself. The only man that had not been treating her like a 1950's housewife since her employment was terminated was Ben.

Gail laughed out loud, these men had no idea what she had to endure in the foster homes that she was forced to stay in growing up. Between the attempted late night visits from her first foster father, to the mental and physical abuse that some of her foster parents tried to make her endure. She was amazed that she managed to escape without being more damaged than she was.

She appreciated that people mistook her for sweet and innocent, that had always worked in her favour when working a story but her true self was so far from that. Yes, Gail liked to think of herself as kind, loyal and pleasant to others; however, in addition to this she was also driven to a fault, stubborn, she did not suffer fools, she had very little patience and she was relentless in her pursuit of the truth no matter who it hurt along the way. Gail knew she could also be very detached and could come across as cold to anyone that she felt was a waste of her time, but she tried her best not to display that side of herself too often.

No, Gail did not need anyone's help. She was tougher than everybody took her for and if the men around her wanted to behave in such an old-fashioned manner, she would not hesitate to insert her own dominance like she already did with Lucas. It was a blessing really, she was beginning to enjoy the time they were spending together too much and was started to let her guard down with him, thankfully his true nature shone threw and it gave her a chance to step back from their relationship, to ponder over what she actually wanted from him.

Gail did miss Lucas at night and whenever he found a way to insert himself into her activities, her body ached for his touch; however, she would not allow herself to be controlled, therefore, her independent side took charge and gave her the strength to turn him away. It had been good for her, it meant she had more time for Ben, Billy and Matt.

Not spending most of her free time with Lucas had also freed her up to figure out what she wanted to be for Caleb. Her cousin had been distant in school the last few months and she had given him a pass on this, due to all the tragedy he had endured previously; however, now that she had more time to consider the situation, that had to stop.

Gail had tried to be there for her cousin ever since she came to Trinity, but she was not his mother and she had no idea how to deal with children. They had both been strangers and somehow managed to find a way to come together as family, it had been hard and there had clearly been a lot of obstacles in their way.

Gail had gotten used to being independent and only thinking about what she needed, hence all the time she had spent with Lucas even after she found out he was Caleb's father. This whole situation had forced her to re-evaluate her life and Gail believed she was in a good place with her relationship with Caleb and it was time that she took responsibility for him. She knew Lucas would have something to say about her plans; however, she was Caleb's guardian on paper, not Lucas and unless he wanted to declare Caleb's parentage to the whole town he would have to take a step back.

Gail took a sip of her herbal tea and sighed, she was not looking forward to the day ahead. She heard a slight creak coming from her front door and looked over to see a tired Caleb walking slowly towards her, wearing just a long T-Shirt and his underwear. Gail smiled, 'Morning, how did you sleep?' she asked.

Caleb sat on the porch swing next to Gail and reached for the glass of juice that she had already prepared for him. 'Good, your bed is comfier than mine...' he said taking a sip of his juice, '...you look different'

Gail gave him a sarcastic quizzical look, 'Well I've not put my war paint on yet and my hair has a life of it's own first thing in the morning'

Caleb laughed, his cousin was normally fully dressed with her hair and make up done when he saw her in the morning, it was nice to see her relaxed and completely natural. It was not often that he stayed over at his cousins house, she normally dropped him off at the boarding house even if he had been out late; therefore, he had been very surprised that she drove him back to her house after they had been to the new Cinema to watch a movie. 'It's nice here in the morning' he said, looking out onto the street.

Gail nodded, 'It is, I find it's soothing to sit out first thing and admire the peacefulness before the working day starts'

Caleb smiled, it truly was. He liked his special spot by the pier because of how peaceful it was, he had never thought that he could just get up a little earlier and sit in the garden to get that same feeling. 'I really enjoyed Avenger's' he said, moving his legs to make the porch swing start to swing.

The sudden movement of the swing made Gail grab her drink tightly and she gave Caleb a warning look. He stared back up at her with a cheeky grin and she could not bare to tell him off, even though she had nearly dropped the hot tea on her bare legs. 'I thought you'd like it, I can't believe you'd never been to a Cinema before; although, the old one here did close down a while ago'

'Can we go again?' he asked.

'Of course, providing your good in school and your homework is kept up to date' she said standing up to stretch her legs and walking down the porch steps to inspect her garden. 'How did you find it in my spare bedroom?' she called back to him.

Caleb stood up and followed his cousin, 'it was nice, I liked having the whole of upstairs to myself'

Gail smiled, this house was far too big for her and she had never really settled upstairs. She had a big bedroom and bathroom downstairs, not to mention her living room and kitchen; therefore, she did not need to move her belongings upstairs. Gail had been used to living in small apartments all her life, after she had been old enough to leave her foster home. When she moved in here, the vastness of the place was daunting so she chose to class the downstairs as her apartment.

Gail and Caleb were very similar, they had each grown used to their own space due to past experiences. The upstairs of her house had three bedrooms and a large bathroom, that would be more than enough room for Caleb. He would have everything he needed for the privacy he liked and would not have to invade her personal space, unless he was hungry or thirsty.

Gail would have to consider Caleb's permanent living arrangements sooner or later, the boarding house was only supposed to be a temporary solution and he had been there for over a year. Before she committed to taking him, she would have to consider what she had with Lucas. She did not want him finding a way to use her to get close to her cousin and she would certainly not allow him to visit her at night if Caleb was here. She decided that she would ponder on the matter when Caleb was not around, as it would be easier for her to weigh up their options.

Caleb came beside Gail and gave her a hug. Gail was taken aback by the unexpected gesture and looked at him suspiciously, 'What was that for?' she asked.

Caleb shrugged, 'Nothin', just wanted to I guess.'

Caleb was aware that his cousin had not mentioned the date and this made him a little worried about her as it was coming close to the anniversary of her parent's deaths. His cousin had been so focused on her parents death's when she came to Trinity, there was no way she could react well to the anniversary. Last year she was preoccupied with him, she would not have that distraction this year so Caleb made a mental note to keep an eye on his cousin over the next few days.

Gail narrowed her eyes at him, 'You look like your planning something' she said.

'Me? Nah' Caleb said smiling.

Gail shook her head, 'Come on, we both need to get ready and I need to drop you off at school' she said and put her arm around him to lead him indoors.

* * *

Lucas sat on his porch with a fresh glass of pure orange juice, admiring his garden. Gail had given in to his constant suggestions to make his garden more inviting and had began planting flowers around the place a few weeks earlier, which had made the garden look more colourful.

He glanced over at the gargoyle statue by the opening of his gate, which was where she had started her little project and reflected on how she seemed to be drawn to the statue. Gail had asked his permission to look through some of his private books to see what information she could find, as the statue had intrigued her; however, he did not believe she was ready for the content of his books just yet.

Lucas smiled when he recalled the disappointed look she had given him and the acts he had performed on her to make that look disappear. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he thought of her taste, the softness of her skin and the intense passion she brought out of him. Lucas was struggling to keep his urges under control during this 'break' she had forced on him. It had been too long since he had been inside her and part of him wanted to march up to her, bend her over and just take her, no matter who was watching. Unfortunately, that would not go down well in securing their future romantic encounters, so he decided he would just wait this out.

Gail had become offended when Lucas had offered his assistance to her, she had lashed out and told him to leave her alone while she figured out where they stood. He could not fathom out the reason for her reaction, he had only tried to reassure her that he would ensure she was well taken care of financially and she would not have to worry. That somehow had resulted in this 'break' and she had not allowed him to have more than 5 minutes of her time since then.

Lucas was beginning to feel pent up, he had gotten used to their regular encounters and was not impressed when she withdrew completely from him. Part of him had considered visiting Selena to get a release, as he knew he could always have her whenever he wanted; however, he would be loyal to Gail, they were meant to be together after all and this would be the perfect time to get used to the terms of a relationship.

Gail had not ended what they had in her usual fashion, which was surprising as she liked to shield herself from believing they were in a relationship and he knew her instinct with everything was to run; therefore, he chose to assume that this was his first official lover's quarrel.

It felt strange, he had never cared what a woman thought and he certainly would not be controlled by one. To him an argument was just another form of control and the winner was the one that chose to back down first; however, Gail did not seem to be trying to control him, she appeared to be hurt by his offer and he supposed this was her way of setting the relationship boundaries. Lucas believed if he respected her wishes, she would finally accept that they were in fact in a relationship, therefore, he had chosen to try and give her some space.

So here he was, admiring her work in his garden while reminiscing about what it felt like to be inside of her. He could picture her at home with his son, wearing a small pair of white shorts which could easily be pulled down for easy access to her sweet spot. He could stop by before she had a chance to change, drag her discreetly into her bedroom while Caleb got ready upstairs and have his way with her, she would probably even enjoy it after she got over the initial shock of the intrusion; however, he chose to remain sat on his porch looking out into the garden, attempting to push his urges back down.

* * *

Ben Healy had chosen to settle himself down on a high stool outside his favourite coffee shop and placed the two cups he was holding down on the table beside him. It was a lovely morning and he wanted to catch some sun before he had to head indoors to the Sheriff's Station. He glanced at his watch to confirm that his friend would be arriving any time soon and took a sip of his coffee while he waited.

Gail rushed down main street quickly, trying to ignore the advertisements for the fourth of July celebrations in most shop windows. She could not stand the run up to fourth of July at the best of times and had been hoping for some sort of a distraction.

When she spotted Ben, she strolled up to the table casually and climbed onto the stool next to him, pulling down her dress to ensure she kept her dignity. She was wearing a short, loose peach dress and her hair was tied in a loose bun at the top of her head, in an attempt to keep cool on this hot day. She took off her sunglasses and gave her friend a smile. 'I nearly didn't make it here on time, that cousin of mine takes longer to get ready than me!' she said laughing and reaching for her green tea.

Ben smiled and shook his head. 'Ben Jr is going through the same thing, he takes an age trying to make his hair just right. God help him when he realises he may end up with my hairline one day'

Gail playfully slapped her friend on the arm, he was always putting himself down. 'Behave.' she said and took a sip of her tea.

Ben feigned a hurt look then grimaced at Gail's drink. 'I don't know how you can drink that, it looks like it tastes of dirt'

Gail laughed, 'I'm a woman Ben, this is what we do to be healthy and shed some weight. There's other not so pleasant things we can force ourselves to swallow and I don't hear you men complaining about that' she said sweetly, it appeared the heat was causing her to be in a playful mood.

Ben nearly choked on his drink with the surprising comment and blushed, 'Gail!' he said in shock. He was not used to talking to a woman in such a relaxed manner and it always caught him off guard when Gail made a rude comment.

'Calm down Deputy, the lady was only joking...' Lucas said approaching the pair, '...besides, I don't hear you complaining about the taste either Miss Emory'

Gail shook her head as Lucas came behind her and stroked her back gently. 'Well I can't expect you to have to endure such a thing if I won't, Sheriff' she said, temporarily forgetting about Ben being present.

Lucas smiled and stared down at her seductively, 'Oh for me it's a pleasure Darlin''

Gail attempted to hide the deep intake of breath she had to take, she had not been prepared for his presence this morning and had to try hard to force her guard up.

When she gathered her composure, she realised Ben was sat silently staring in any direction but at her and Lucas. 'Down boy' she said playfully to Lucas and turned her attention back to her friend. 'So, Caleb and I went to the new Cinema last night. He really enjoyed it and asked to go again, do you want to come with Ben Jr? Caleb's been asking about him recently and they seemed to hit it off when they met.'

Ben shifted uncomfortably on his seat. He did not like to be around when the banter started with these two, as he could never tell whether it would remain civil or if it would escalate to personal insults. They always kept a pleasant manner; however, after spending a lot of time with Gail, he could now spot the subtle insults or suggestions in their conversations. He pushed the thought aside and tried to focus on the change of subject Gail had given him. 'That would be nice for Ben Jr, but I'll have to see what Barbara Joy says'

'Why don't you scoot off to the Station now and get the lady an answer?' Lucas said, wanting to be alone with Gail and smiled when Ben got up obediently.

'OK...wish me luck' Ben said to Gail and headed towards the Sheriff's Station, glad to be away from the pair.

Gail smiled at her friend, then took a sip of her drink. 'I was planning on having a conversation with him, you know' she said, not turning towards Lucas.

Lucas moved closer to her. 'I didn't think you'd want to waste your time on mundane conversation with my Deputy, when you have more pressing things to be thinking about'

Gail laughed, 'Well it appears I have all the time in the world these days, so what more pressing things would that be Sheriff?' she asked sweetly.

Lucas glanced around to make sure they were alone and leaned in closer. 'I've been very patient Darlin'...' he whispered in her ear, '...it's about time you made your decision about what you want'

Gail bit her lip in an attempt to resist the urge to kiss him. She could sense how close his lips were to her neck and she could feel her guard beginning to waiver. He was right, he had been patient and given her time to regain her dignity after his initial offer had offended her so much. She had expected him to invade her space more frequently than he had; however, he had kept his distance most of the time.

Gail had not quite figured out what she wanted with Lucas, she knew he had no concept of morals and suspected that he had done some terrible things to the people in this town in the past. On the other hand he seemed loyal to her and Caleb, he could have ran to Selena when the urge hit him on their 'break'; however, she knew he had not done so and he seemed to be waiting for her.

Lucas had once told her that he would change, he knew from her relentless pursuit of the truth that she would not voluntarily be involved in anything untoward and it was not in her nature to be drawn to such a man like him; however, he was who he was and she was drawn to him in a way that she could not control, so how could she expect him to change?

Gail heard the deep intake of breath that Lucas took, clearly this closeness was affecting him to. She glanced around to make sure no one had become aware of them, then stood up and pushed him gently towards the coffee shop alley. She gently cupped his chin to bring his face close to hers and placed a soft kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, Lucas tangled his fingers in her hair then pulled her close and kissed her passionately.

After a moment, Gail pulled away from the embrace and feigned a warning look. 'I appreciate the space you've given me and I know what you want, but this is not the time or the place. I need more time to think' she said and took a step back.

Lucas exhaled in exasperation, it was taking all of his self control not to insert his dominance and he could feel is twin slowly rising, trying to take control of the situation. He wanted to believe he would never hurt Gail; however, he could not trust the actions of his twin in this matter, so he took a deep breath and pushed him down.

Gail watched Lucas carefully, clearly he was struggling with something and it was unfortunate that she was the one causing it. Although she would not admit it, she cared about how he was doing and she did not like to see him this way. It was a shame she had been sworn to secrecy over the Mayor's meeting today by her new friend Mary, otherwise she could have given Lucas something else to focus on.

Lucas shook off his pent up feelings and regained his focus. 'What meeting Darlin'?' he asked intrigued, reading her mind.

Gail shook her head, had she spoken out loud? she should not be getting involved in this and Mary would not trust her again if she believed she had betrayed her confidence. 'I didn't mention a meeting, you're hearing things Sheriff' she said, trying to back track.

Lucas stared at Gail for a moment, then opened his minds eye to the Town Hall. The Mayor appeared to be meeting with Calvin, the owner of the Jackson's Pharmaceuticals; however, he could not fathom what they would have to discuss. Lucas gently caressed Gail's cheek and placed a kiss on her forehead, then headed back to the Sheriff's Station.

'Damn it!' Gail said out loud to herself, as Lucas walked away.

* * *

Mayor John sat uncomfortably in his chair, staring at his friend in disbelief. He had known Calvin Jackson for years, ever since they had wanted the same girl in High School and he did not want his old friend to take the action he was currently considering. 'Calvin, think about what you're saying. Do you really want to go against Lucas Buck? especially with only a week to go before he's named Sheriff' he asked.

Calvin took a sip of water from the glass in front of him and smiled, his old friend was only trying to look out for him; however, his mind was already made up. 'I'm not scared of Lucas Buck, besides it's about time we had a change in this town'

'Is that so' Lucas said, leaning against the door to the Mayor's office with is hands in his pockets.

Both men turned towards Lucas and stared in shock. Neither man had heard Lucas enter the room and John could still feel the faint burning sensation behind his eyes from the last unexpected visit from the Sheriff. 'Sorry Lucas...' John said shaking, '...I didn't hear you come in'

Lucas smiled as he knew from their previous encounters recently that the Mayor would not be plotting against him; therefore, this must be down to the other man in the room. 'What changes do you believe my town needs Calvin?' he asked, ignoring the Mayor.

Calvin stood up, trying to stand tall with Lucas. If he was going to continue with his intended actions he would have to get used to challenging the man. 'I wanna run for Sheriff. You've been in the position for a long time and we appreciate what you've done for us all, but it's time for someone else to step up' he said, trying to sound confident.

Lucas laughed and shook his head, he could not believe someone else was stupid enough to contemplate going up against him. It appeared some people in his town had grown a pair and wanted to try to advance above their stations. 'And you think you're the man to make me stand down?' Lucas asked comically.

Calvin smiled, trying to hide his nervousness. 'I'm a good family man and I'm fair. I don't want to disrespect you Sheriff, but I'm willing to give the election a try'

Lucas could feel his twin trying to burst out and take control; however, he would not let him out to play just yet. He never usually let it get to the stage of an election when someone made the unfortunate mistake of believing they could run against him; however, with all that was going on between him and Gail, he could do with a distraction. Maybe a campaign would do him some good. 'OK Calvin, may the best man win' he said, shook the mans hand and left the Mayor's office.

Mayor John stared at the door in disbelief when Lucas just left, then let out a long sigh of relief when his office door closed.

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

Matt Crower stood patiently outside Juniper House with an orderly, waiting to be picked up. It had been three weeks since Gail managed to convince the powers that be to let him out on day leave and it felt good to be outdoors. Today he was wearing a loose shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a light brown pair of cotton pants, in an attempt to look smart for his friend. He welcomed the warm summer breeze on his arms and hoped that he would be able to stay outdoors today.

Matt turned towards the red mustang heading his way and smiled when Gail got out of the car, wearing a peach dress which was much shorter than the long dresses and skirts that he was used to accustomed to seeing her wear. The orderly nodded towards Matt to indicate it was fine for him to go, so he headed towards his friend.

Gail walked up to her old friend and gave him a hug. 'I'm not late am I?' she asked.

Matt's smile grew wider when he smelled her scent, it was proving hard to get used to the natural scent of a woman when most of his days were spent in a secluded cell. 'I wouldn't care if you were late Gail, it's not like I have anywhere else to be.'

Gail laughed and signalled for him to get into the passenger side of her car. She knew Lucas and the Head Doctor disapproved of her spending time with Matt alone, as they had attempted to convince her that he was dangerous; however, she was a big girl and she did not trust anyone else to escort him on his day leave. When they were both in her car, she turned on the engine and drove away from Juniper House.

Matt rolled the window down and partially stuck his head out, to let the wind blow through his hair. Gail shook her head at this display and pulled over to the side of the road. She had kept the roof of her car on today, in an attempt to provide herself with some shade; however, it was clear Matt wanted the fresh air so she exited the car and pulled the roof down.

When she returned to the drivers side of her car, Matt was staring out into the distance. This was his third trip away from Juniper House and each time he seemed to be acting stranger. 'So, what do you want to do today?' she asked, heading towards town.

Matt shrugged, 'Are we going to see Caleb?'

Gail had noticed a slight change in Matt's behaviour recently and she did not want him around Caleb too much, until she had time to find out what was wrong. 'Maybe later, he's in school anyway. Do you want to go to my place or would you like to do something else?'

Matt missed Caleb, he always missed the boy when he was in his cell. These little day trips were the only thing keeping him sane at the present time and he had been counting down the days until he got to see Caleb and Gail again. 'Can we go somewhere quiet, just you and me? Maybe by the water?' he asked.

Gail considered his request. Even though she trusted Matt, part of her wanted to be in a public place that she was familiar with. A secluded spot by the Trinity river sounded all well and good, but she would be completely alone with him. 'How about we go somewhere for food first, then pick where we want to sit out for the rest of the day?' she suggested.

'I don't want to be around people right now Gail, just you' he said, as he continued to stare out into the distance.

Gail sighed, 'Matt you need to get used to being around other people, this dependency on me and Caleb isn't healthy'

Matt let out a small laugh, 'Gail, I'm a mental patient at Juniper House, do you think any of this is healthy?' he asked.

Gail did not want to get into this right now, apart from the earlier exchange with Lucas her day had actually been pretty good up until this point. 'Fine, we'll find somewhere quiet by the the river, just the two of us. Happy now?'

Matt smiled and gently squeezed Gail's knee affectionately, then stared out into the horizon.

* * *

Caleb Temple was sat in a secluded spot in the school playground, under a large tree. It was dinner time and the heat was nearly unbearable if you did not find shade.

He was reading 'The Drawing of the Three', the second instalment to 'The Dark Tower' series. Gail was impressed with how quickly he had read 'The Gunslinger' and had let him go straight into the next book in the series. She had made it clear that she did not want him to put reading above his homework or playing outside with his friends, as school and companionship was more important; therefore, he was only allowed to read before bed or on his lunch break.

Caleb put his book to one side and picked up the ham and cheese sandwich Gail had prepared for him. It was not often that she made him lunch for school, she usually bought him chilli dog's or burgers. Caleb inspected the sandwich warily then took a bite, he smiled when he found that the sandwich was very nice and tried to figure out what sauce his cousin had put between the ham and cheese, which added to the pleasant taste.

'I do believe that would be honey mustard, son. It's one of your cousins favourite condiments' Lucas said appearing from behind the tree and sitting next to Caleb.

Caleb was not fazed by Lucas's appearance, he had become used to these seemingly random displays. 'How would you know that?' Caleb asked, taking another bite of his sandwich.

'Your cousin's been known to make me a sandwich or two in her time' Lucas said inspecting Caleb's lunch. Gail did not normally take the time to prepare something for his boy, she usually let Miss Holt take care of the mundane tasks. It was good that she was showing a desire to look after his son, it made him want her all the more.

Caleb watched Lucas carefully, to others he was a mystery but Caleb was starting to figure some things out. He suspected that Lucas and his cousin were friends or something else, he could see the way Lucas looked at Gail and it did not take a genius to come to this conclusion. His cousin hid her feelings well when it came to Lucas; therefore, Caleb could not quite figure out the nature of their relationship and whether they were just friends or something more. Gail had been spending much more time with him and less time around Lucas, which indicated to Caleb that something had happened. Either that or she just had nothing better to do with her time.

Caleb had also noticed the control Lucas had over other people in this town, no-one seemed to want to question his actions and most people did whatever he wanted. Naturally, Caleb did not care what Lucas got up to as long as it did not impact him or Gail. Merlyn tried to tell him that he should care more; however, Gail had once told him that he was just a boy and he should cherish the time he had not having to worry about adult things, so he chose to remain oblivious to most things that did not affect him or his family.

Lucas was watching his boy closely. It was evident that the boy was becoming more like his cousin and had taken to the silent deliberations she had with herself, as Caleb was clearly contemplating something internally. It was good, he had been around Gail enough times to know how to act when she became like this; therefore, he knew the best thing to do was to wait until the boy came back to him. Lucas smiled when he saw the glimmer in Caleb's eyes, which meant he was finished with his internal pondering. 'So...I need your help son' Lucas said, picking up a slice of sandwich.

Caleb looked at Lucas and shook his head, 'I'm not to getting involved with any adult things' he said and picked up the bag of crisps Gail had packed away for him.

Lucas was shocked, 'No, just like that? Come on son, I know this place bores you and no-one will mind if you're with me' he said, knowing Caleb was always itching to get out of school these days.

Caleb considered what Lucas was offering, then remembered Gail had said he had to be good in school or she would not take him to the Cinema again. 'I can't...' he said disappointedly, '...Gail would mind'

Lucas feigned a hurt look and shook his head, 'Are you really gonna let that cousin of yours spoil our fun?' he asked. Gail had not decided what she wanted, so he did not care whether she would have his hide over this or not.

Caleb looked towards the school, then back at Lucas. Surely Gail would not mind if he was helping the Sheriff with official business, besides how could he refuse a man asking for help? Caleb smiled, 'Ok, but you sort this with Gail and Miss Coombs. I don't wanna be gettin' into trouble over this'

Lucas stood up and picked up Caleb's book. 'Oh this won't come bad on you at all son' he said with a smile and signalled for Caleb to follow him.

Caleb packed up the rest of his lunch and started to follow Lucas. When he turned back to make sure he had not forgotten anything, he saw Merlyn stood under the tree with her arms folded and shaking her head disapprovingly.

* * *

Gail had abandoned her car at the side of the road before they reached the Pier and walked through some greenery with Matt, until they found one of the quiet spots Lucas had brought her to. She had stopped off at a grocery shop before picking Matt up and grabbed some fruit out of the cooler in her trunk, to ensure they had something to eat.

Matt had forgotten how beautiful and calm the river was and the secluded spot Gail had brought him to reflected the natural beauty of the place. He had been down to another quiet spot similar to this with Caleb once before and had been taken aback by the scenery then too. He walked up to the water and went to step in, wanting to feel the water on his skin.

'Whoa there...' Gail said, trying to hide the concern in her voice '...I don't want any wet shoes in my car. If your determined to go in the water, at least take your shoes off'

Matt nodded obediently and took his shoes and socks off. He rolled the bottom of his pants up slightly, then continued to walk into the river. He felt like he was in heaven, the feeling of the water on his toes was exquisite and he had to resist the urge to run to the deeper side and submerge himself.

Gail watched her friend closely. It was like watching a child who had never seen the ocean before, he genuinely appeared to be in awe. Matt was an educated man, this type of behaviour was unusual and was not how she would ever have expected her friend to act.

She found herself thinking back to the file she had on Juniper House and felt sickened that she had let the matter go when she suspected terrible things were happening there. She had been too distracted lately, it was about time she got back to how she used to be and continued to try to find concrete evidence of what was taking place in Juniper House.

Gail was taken away from her thoughts by Matt staring at her expectantly, she glanced back at him cautiously. 'Did I miss something?' she asked.

Matt smiled, 'What are you waiting for?' he asked playfully.

Gail shook her head and backed away slightly, 'Oh no, I'm not coming in there'

'Don't make me come over there and get you Miss Emory' Matt said feigning a stern look and putting his hands on his hips.

Gail sighed and apprehensively took her sandals off, then carefully placed a bare foot into the water. The water was uncomfortably cold at first; however, when she placed her other foot in, her body got used to the cold sensation and the water felt nice on her bare skin under this sweltering sun.

Gail took a few careful steps forward and reflected on the only other time she had braved entering the river, it was when she was having a picnic with Lucas. He had chosen a secluded spot by the river for their rendezvous one evening last month, where no one could disturb them. After they had let their food settle, he had become playful and picked her up, then walked them both fully clothed into the river.

The water had been surprisingly cold even though it had been hot that day; however, Lucas's body heat had kept her warm. He had waded as far as he could before they would be completely submerged and the water had risen to his waist. He had softly kissed her while she ran her fingers through his hair to pull him closer, then dropped her into the water unexpectedly. For a moment she was furious, then she saw the playful smile on his lips and pulled him fully into the water with her.

She closed her eyes for a moment at the thought of Lucas's soft wet lips running over her neck. Between the touch of his hands on her body and the feel of the cold water on her skin, it had not taken him long to break her and he took her right there in the water. When they had finished, they lay on the bank of the river while their clothes dried and Lucas had wrapped the picnic blanket around their wet bodies, to ensure she was warm enough. In his usual style, Lucas could not leave her be when she was just in her underwear under the blanket and had began to play with her.

Matt stared at his friend curiously, she had started to follow him into the water and then stopped. He had a lot of time to think in his cell and had come to the realisation that something had happened to Gail to change her whole demeanour. When they first met they had instantly clicked, they had both shared the same distrust of Lucas Buck and they both wanted the best for Caleb. They had banded together towards a common goal, to take Lucas Buck down and Gail had become the closest friend he had ever had.

It was evident to Matt that something had changed, even before he had tried to perform the act which got him sent to Juniper House. Gail had become distant, irritated and preoccupied. She had been pleasant enough when they had seen each other in passing; however, the woman he had grown to know was changing and it appeared that she was hiding something. Matt did not previously get a chance to confront Gail as he let his mind be poisoned into turning on Lucas publicly, but he would not make that mistake again.

Gail had told him recently that Lucas's mother was not alive and she could not find any information regarding his mother or the woman who had pretended to be her, which struck Matt as strange. The Gail he knew would not stop digging until she uncovered something; however, she seemed reluctant to dig into Lucas's past. She had made excuses about being busy and having to take care of Caleb, but he was convinced something else was going on.

Matt gave a slight jump when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he lost his train of thought. Gail had succeeded in making her way to him, 'Took you long enough' he said smiling.

'I'm here aren't I?' she said and stroked Matt's arm, 'So, what is this?'

'What do you mean?' he asked.

Gail laughed, 'Come on Matt, since when do we take a stroll in the Trinity river? Are you OK?'

Matt shrugged, the truth was that he was most certainly not OK, part of him wanted to scream and never stop. He was not sleeping, he had no appetite, he had found sores on his body due to the lack of sunlight in his cell and he had began to see things. At first it was just his wife and daughter, then he seemed to have episodes where he believed Merlyn Temple was talking to him. Matt felt as though Lucas Buck had finally broken him in that dingy cell in Juniper House; however, he would not force his drama onto the one person who seemed to be trying to help him, therefore, he just smiled. 'I am' he said and stared towards the other side of the river, to hide truth showing on his face.

Gail may have been distracted recently, but she was not so preoccupied that she could not see her friend was in pain. It did not take a genius to realise Matt was suffering and she knew it would be better for him if he talked about it. She could not force him to open up, just like he could not force her to discuss everything that had happened to her that resulted in the coma months previously. She sighed and shook her head, they were both so stubborn. If he was not ready to talk then she would wait, they had a long way to go to repair their friendship and trust, luckily Gail had all the time in the world due to the joys of unemployment.

Sensing the awkwardness that had fell over them, Gail did the only thing she could think of the loosen them both up and jumped on Matt's back to push him fully into the water.

* * *

Lucas was driving away from town, with Caleb sat beside him in the passenger seat of the car. They had gone shopping for banners and badges, as well as all the equipment they would need to decorate them for the upcoming election. Lucas had no intention of colouring and making signs, which is why his boy was here. He knew Merlyn was at the school when he had convinced Caleb to help him and she disapproved of this little outing; however, he did not plan to get the boy into any trouble and it was good innocent help that he required.

'Is that Gail's car?' Caleb said, spotting the red mustang in the distance.

'It most certainly is son' Lucas said, slowing down so he could pull up behind the car. Gail's mustang was unmistakable in this town, with its large engine and blood red paint work. There was no one that was daring enough to drive a car such as this, apart from Selena with her metallic yellow sports car.

'Your cousin seems far from home' Lucas said getting out of the car.

Caleb followed Lucas, but was wary of making it known to his cousin that he was not in school. 'We should leave her be, she's probably busy' Caleb said apprehensively approaching her car.

Lucas took little notice of what Caleb had said, he recognised this spot as one in which he had taken Gail to previously when he wanted to be alone with her and began to wonder who she would need to be alone with. He began to push through the greener, trying to keep his jealousy in line, if he found her here with Billy Peele he would not be able to control himself and would likely hurt the man.

Caleb followed close behind reluctantly. He did not understand why Lucas was so interested in what his cousin was doing, as he would get in trouble for taking Caleb out of school. When they both reached the clearing past a row of trees, Caleb smiled and ran down to the water excitedly to where Gail lay with Matt.

Lucas watched carefully as he saw Gail move from a comfortable sunbathing position, to a confused upright position. At least she was not here with Billy, although Harvard was not much better in his eyes. He sighed and causally walked down to the party.

Gail was dumbfounded with Caleb's appearance. After being soaked in the river at her own doing, she had convinced Matt to come to the shore and sunbathe with her while their clothes dried. She had been so comfortable when they were rudely interrupted by an excited Caleb. Matt jumped up instantly and embraced the boy, while Gail slowly forced herself up and looked around for the cause of the intrusion. She shook her head disapprovingly when she saw Lucas walking casually towards her.

'This was you?' she asked, trying to hide the irritation in her voice. She should have known it would only be him who took Caleb out of school without permission, he knew these actions infuriated her.

Lucas stopped close to Gail and looked down at her damp dress, it clung to the top of her legs nicely. 'Where you busy Darlin? I didn't realise it was time for the lunatic's day trip just yet' he said, trying not to read too much into the fact that Gail could not bare to be with him at the moment but she was happy to frolic around with a mental patient.

Gail looked towards Matt, who was standing far enough away with Caleb not to hear the conversation. 'Once a week as agreed Sheriff...' she said trying not to be bated by his comment, '...Now, what's going on here?' she asked.

Lucas stared at a wet Matt, then turned his attention back towards Gail, 'I could ask you the same thing Darlin', did you two go for a little swim?'

Gail was getting nowhere, she could sense the venom in Lucas's voice and knew that he did not like her being close to Matt. 'In fact we did...' she started, not caring that she would be making the situation worse as he was exasperating. '...we've been having a lovely time in the water, just the two of us. We managed to stay warm by keeping our bodies close together in the river, you remember how that is right?'

Lucas inhaled sharply, trying to control his temper. He did not like the thought of anyone touching his possessions, least of all someone who had taken a shot at him. He could not understand why Gail insisted on visiting Harvard, he had put a lot of time into making it seem like the man was crazy; however, she just disregarded his efforts and continued to see him anyway. It seemed the more he did to try and convince her the man was dangerous, the more she wanted to spend time with him. This would not do, not if she was to be by his side.

Matt let Caleb go and turned his attention towards his friend. She was standing very close to Lucas and looked like she was trying to challenge him. Matt noticed that her body language had changed, she used to back away from the closeness Lucas tried to force on her but now she seemed to be embracing it. He had previously pushed down his suspicions of how Gail managed to arrange for these day trips; however, it was getting harder to look the other way when he could see the connection so clearly when these two were together.

Caleb was watching Matt carefully, then looked towards Gail and Lucas. Something was going on and he did not want Matt to get involved; therefore, he took the man by the arm and led him further away. He would use this opportunity to discuss the upcoming fourth of July celebrations and see if Matt could offer any council on how to help his cousin through it.

Gail noticed Caleb was leading Matt further down the shore and admired how smart her cousin was. It occurred to her that this would be the perfect opportunity to keep Lucas away from Matt; therefore, she took hold of his wrist and dragged him to the trees past the clearing, to give them more privacy to talk freely.

Lucas allowed himself to be led away, as being in the same vicinity of Matt Crower was making his blood boil. When they reached the trees he noticed Gail's skin had began to turn pink from laying out in the sun for too long. He gently stroked his fingers down the bare pink skin that was showing on her chest and smiled when he felt her inhale deeply.

This simple reaction made Lucas calm down considerably. He knew deep down that his love would never do anything with the men she chose to call friends, maybe being with Selena for so long had given him trust issues. Besides, no matter how much these Doctor types liked to think they could stand up to him, they would not dare do something as bold as to make a move on Gail. The repercussions of that would be fatal.

Lucas let his hand trail down Gail's chest and then placed both hands on her hips. 'You've been lay out too long Darlin', I would've thought your Doctor friend would have something to say about prolonged sun exposure'

Gail glanced down at her pink chest then back up to Lucas. 'I'm a big girl, I don't need anyone to tell me what I can and can't do Sheriff'

Lucas pulled her closer to him so their bodies were touching, then stroked his nose on her cheek affectionately and inhaled her scent. 'I won't tell you what you can and can't do Darlin', but when I take you I'd like your body to be in full health so it can withstand anything I throw at it' he said and nipped at her neck gently.

Gail shook her head at his arrogance; however, she did not pull out of his grip. 'If I decide to let you take me, it will be on my terms. I might just decide that I want a prolonged break, I'm sure I can satisfy myself when the mood strikes' she said sweetly.

Lucas let out a small laugh and let one hand trail down to the bottom of her damp dress, he pulled it up slightly and softly stroked the inside of her leg with his finger. He smiled triumphantly when he saw Gail bite her lip, 'Now Darlin', if I allow you to satisfy yourself when the mood strikes, it will be while I'm watching' he whispered in her ear.

Gail closed her eyes at the feeling of his warm breath on her ear, his relentless stroking of the inside of her leg was becoming too much to handle and she silently willed him to move his fingers higher.

As if reading her mind, Lucas let his fingers move higher up the inside of her leg and thumbed at the bottom of her thong. He stroked the fabric gently and nipped at her neck again. Gail moved her head to the side to allow him more access, momentarily forgetting where she was.

Lucas took this gesture as acceptance and moved the fabric of her thong to one side, to enable him to play with her properly. He knew the others were far enough away to have no idea what they were doing and the large trees provided the perfect amount of cover.

He could feel his pants getting tighter as he grew, it had been far too long since they had done this and he could not control his urges for much longer. As if sensing his thoughts Gail moved her hands to his groin and unzipped his pants to free him. To show his appreciation he pushed two fingers inside her and placed his lips on hers to stifle her moan.

Gail embraced the kiss and took hold of his manhood in her hands, she gently played with him while he pushed his fingers in and out of her. Part of her cursed herself for being so easily drawn to Lucas; however, the other side of her embraced it. Lucas had told her once that he believed they had an almost supernatural desire for each other; however, she had not considered this until recently. It was getting harder and harder to resist his affections, she seemed to ache for him more and more each day.

She knew doing this out in the open was wrong, but she could not stop herself from touching him. She ran her free hand through his hair, then pulled his head close and continued to kiss him forcefully. Lucas's movements inside her were relentless, when she felt herself beginning to lose control she threw her head back and bit her lips hard, to stop from yelling his name. When her time had passed, she continued to move her hand vigorously until Lucas pushed his head into the bottom of her neck to stifle his moans.

Suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings, Gail stepped back in horror with the realisation of what they had done with Caleb close by. Lucas reached out to caress her cheek, but she pulled away. 'The boy is nowhere close Gail, you've done nothin' wrong' he said reassuringly.

Gail glanced towards Caleb and Matt, who were far enough away to be oblivious of what had just occurred. She was sickened with herself for not being able to control her urges and could not believe she had just disregarded their presence. 'Get away from me...' she said angrily, '...this was not right'

Lucas took a few steps closer and raised his hand to caress her face again; however, Gail backed away further until she was out in the open where Caleb and Matt could see her. 'No...' she said shaking her head, '...I need time to think'

Lucas sighed, 'Don't take too long Darlin', I won't wait around forever'

Gail was more angry with herself than Lucas; however, it was easier for her to project the anger onto him. 'I'll take as long as I want Sheriff...you know where you can go if you get tired of waiting' she said defiantly.

Lucas shook his head, then let out a small laugh to hide his frustration. 'I'll keep that in mind when my urges rise...in the meantime, I'm taking Caleb to help with my campaign' he said and started to walk away.

'Campaign?' Gail called after him, but Lucas just continued walking to collect his son.

-To be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

It was late in the evening when Gail dropped Matt off at Juniper House. She felt terrible leaving her friend there, suspecting it was horrible being locked up after being able to roam free for most of the day. Matt had tried to reassure her that everything was OK; however, she saw the fire that was in his eyes at the river fade when they got close to Juniper, which indicated that her friend was deflated.

Gail had insisted on walking Matt back to his cell, to ensure he was undisturbed by the orderlies. Lucas must have used his influence on the staff for her, as she was met with little confrontation when she had marched up to the front desk with Matt in tow.

When she had escorted him safely to his cell, she took a slow stroll down the corridor trying to find some evidence of wrong doing. She even managed to walk through a restricted door that was usually blocked by a security guard; however, before she could reach the room at the end of the corridor, she was spotted by an orderly and escorted out of the building.

Now that she was alone in the car park, she had time to reflect on the happenings of the day. She could not believe Lucas had convinced Caleb to help him with a campaign and she was still disappointed in herself for what she had done with Lucas while her cousin had been close by. Gail shook the thoughts out of her head and glanced at her watch, it was only 7:30pm so she decided to head to Jimmy's bar for a drink with the hopes of seeing Ben or Billy.

* * *

Selena stood pacing in her kitchen, trying to control her frustration. She had slaved over a hot stove for hours and cooked an exotic meal for Billy, to show him that she was making an effort with their relationship; however, all he seemed to be concerned about was work or how Gail Emory was doing.

Selena had made the mistake previously of convincing Billy she had accepted his friendship with her nemesis and now all he did was talk about her. If it was not about how strong she was for putting that man Gregory in his place, it was how worried he was about whether she was coping with unemployment. Selena had smiled and nodded in the right places throughout dinner, patiently waiting for some praise for the effort she had put in; however, it appeared that her partner took the nods as authorisation to go check on her nemesis, which meant she was left here pacing in her kitchen staring at the dirty dishes in her sink.

This whole situation was laughable to her, it was not like her to voluntarily be so domestic and this was a new low for her. Selena knew she could snap her fingers and get almost any man in this town to do as she wished, how could it be so hard to get Billy to notice her?

Selena laughed out loud at the situation. If Billy wanted to go and check on the lovely Miss Emory, she was not going to just wait here for him to come home. She decided she was long overdue for a night out on the town and headed towards her bedroom to change.

* * *

Caleb arrived at Gail's house just before 9:00pm. Lucas had dropped him off at the boarding house at approximately 8:00pm, just in time for his curfew; however, Caleb decided he wanted to spend the night at his cousin's place again, as she was so welcoming the night before. Gail and Lucas had been acting strangely together at the river earlier, so Caleb decided not to ask Lucas to take him to Gail's house and chose to walk instead.

Miss Holt had given him a disapproving look when she saw him get out of Lucas's car and tried to question whether he was being honest about going to Gail's place. Caleb had come to realise that Miss Holt had little to no authority over him, he appreciated that she had taken him in and she had authority over what he did in her house; however, he did not need to justify or explain himself to her about anything that took place outside the boarding house. After Caleb had only given one word answers to her questions, she had waved him off in frustration and he was free to head to his cousin's place.

When Caleb arrived, he was disappointed to see Gail's car was not in the driveway. He went around back to obtain the spare keys and then returned to the front garden to let himself in, he hoped she would not mind the intrusion.

Caleb walked around the place casually, admiring the peacefulness. He had only been alone in this house once before, when some bad men had come to Trinity and Gail had ordered him to wait for her here as they were staying at the boarding house. Lucas had taken care of the men somehow, it was of no concern to him how he had done so and Caleb believed whatever punishment they got was well deserved.

When he spotted his cousins bedroom door was ajar, he was taken out of his thoughts and his curiosity got the better of him. Caleb peeked his head apprehensively around the door, then entered the bedroom. He did not want to do anything untoward, he just wanted to gain more insight into his cousin as she was usually very guarded and private.

Caleb surveyed Gail's bedroom and realised that it was quite bare, much like his own. Although there were pictures on the wall and a few green plants dotted around the place, the dull white walls gave the room a sterile feel to it. He headed over to the chest of draws and picked up a photo frame, he smiled when he realised it was the first photo ever taken of him and his cousin. The photo was taken after he had taught Gail how to crab fish and she had caught her first crab, the picture reflected the genuine happiness that they both experienced that day.

Placing the photo back in its original position, he glanced around the room and noticed all the photos in here were of him and Gail. This surprised Caleb as he thought there would be more pictures of Gail's parents, knowing how important her parents had been to her. There was a photo of her as a little girl with her parents on the fireplace in the living room; however, it appeared that every other photo Gail chose to display around the house was of him.

He shrugged off this train of thought as unimportant for the time being and continued surveying the room. He saw the peach dress that Gail had be wearing earlier discarded on the floor, which indicated she had changed and left in a hurry.

Caleb looked suspiciously from side to side, as if making sure he would definitely alone, then ran quickly and jumped on Gail's bed. Laughing out loud to himself as he bounced up and down slightly, he stretched his arms and legs out like a star. It was not often that his cousin let him lay on her bed and it was much comfier than his. Caleb knew she would not be impressed with his cheekiness; however, he suddenly felt giddy and did not care.

Billy Peele went to knock on his friends front door not holding out much hope that she was home as her mustang was nowhere to be seen, when he noticed the door was slightly ajar. He entered suspiciously, knowing Gail would not leave her door open like this and was taken aback by the childish giggles coming from her bedroom.

Billy would not usually have the balls to approach his friends bedroom, as she was very private; however, it was evident that she was not home, therefore, he walked towards the surprising sound and poked his head around the door to inspect the noise. He laughed when he saw Caleb laying like a star on her bed. 'You're brave Champ' he said, informing the boy of his presence.

Caleb jumped up off the bed in shock and stood tall, trying to appear natural. 'I wasn't doin' nothin'' he said more defensively than intended.

Billy held his hands up in an unarmed gesture, 'Whoa, don't worry. As far as I'm concerned I didn't witness a thing...' he said, trying to reassure the boy, 'Have you seen your cousin?'

Caleb quickly straightened out Gail's bed covers and glanced around the room to make sure he had not left anything out of place, then headed out of the bedroom. 'No sir, not since earlier'

Billy followed Caleb into the living room, Gail would not be happy that he was out past his curfew or that he was here alone. Billy had realised early on that his friend liked her privacy and would not tolerate intrusions. 'Isn't it past your bedtime at the boarding house Champ?' he asked.

Caleb shrugged, 'I've decided to stay here tonight' he said, confident his decision would go unchallenged and jumped on the couch.

Billy shook his head, he knew Caleb was Lucas Buck's son and pitied the boy for that. Every now and again Caleb would say something in a way that made you not want to challenge him, which reminded him of Lucas. Gail would not acknowledge Lucas's parentage and she disregarded any hint at it when Billy tried to make her aware that he knew.

He understood Gail well enough by now to know that she would want to be the one authorising any time Caleb spent in her home and would not want Caleb to have full control of her place; therefore, Billy took it upon himself to step in now and hoped Selena would not be too mad at the delay this would inevitably cause in him returning to her. 'Well, if you're staying here Champ, then so am I. We'll wait for that cousin of your's together' he said, taking a seat on Gail's big arm chair.

Caleb looked at Billy trying to will him to leave, then sighed when it was evident that the man was staying put.

* * *

Gail sat in a dark quiet corner of Jimmy's bar, observing the people present in the room. When she had decided to leave for the the bar, after returning home to change into a white mid length skirt and blue vest top, she had hoped to find her friends. She had not spotted Billy; however, she saw Ben with Rita stood cosily together by the pool table and chose not to disturb their date.

Gail never minded drinking alone, it gave her the opportunity to observe the townspeople freely without having to perform for the company around her. She was used to being alone and it took a lot of effort for her to pretend like she wanted to be around people. She made the effort with Ben, Billy and Matt as they were good people; however, they were also a little damaged like herself which made it easier.

Christie, her only real friend in Charleston, had always told her that she needed to embrace new relationships with people. This was not something Gail would usually consider due to the demanding nature of her career; however, she was stuck here for the foreseeable future and she had to try to behave like a normal person, to create a good and stable environment for Caleb. If that meant playing the part of a socialite in this town she had to try, hence her becoming friends with the Mayor's wife Mary and the likeable Nurse Rita.

All these new friendships would play a part in her wider goal of potentially gaining custody of Caleb; however, the more interactions she forced herself to do, the more she felt as though a part of her true nature was being stripped away. Lucas understood how she really was, she believed this was partly why she was drawn to him. He did not force her into public displays, she would always have a choice if he required her to be seen out with him and he appeared to be happy enough for their rendezvous's to be private.

Although she would never let herself admit it out loud, she missed him. The man was infuriating and like to intrude on her personal space; however, she could be herself around him and he did not judge her, even when she acted cold.

As if sensing her thoughts, she saw Lucas enter the room and casually walk up to the bar. Gail sat back in her booth, closed her eyes and sighed. Now she remembered why he infuriated her so much, he chose the most inopportune moments to show up and she did not want his company right now.

'Problems?' came a familiar voice from behind her.

Gail opened her eyes, turned around and saw Selena sat on the opposite side of the booth behind her. Gail shook her head, she had clearly been so distracted by Lucas's appearance that she had not noticed Selena sneak into the booth. 'We all have problems Selena' she said and turned back around.

Selena picked up her martini, got up and moved to Gail's booth. Placing herself opposite her nemesis, she glanced in the direction Gail was staring and smiled knowingly when she saw Lucas ordering a drink. This was interesting, not only was the lovely Miss Emory not at her place where Selena knew Billy would be waiting for her, she also appeared to be avoiding Lucas. Selena was fed up of men for the time being, so she chose to enter into honest conversation for a change and sighed 'Well my problem is that my boyfriend is more concerned with you at this moment in time, rather than me. Care to share yours?'

Gail turned her attention to the woman in front of her, she knew Billy had been concerned about how she was coping; however, she would not have thought he would let the concerns impact his relationship with Selena. Men could be so stupid, if Billy was waiting for her at her place which Selena's presence indicated, he would be waiting for a while yet for her to return.

Gail was tired with the heat and the activities of the day, she was also slightly drunk so felt no need to keep up pretences. 'That's pretty lame compared to mine. Try dealing with Lucas Buck and Matt Crower in the same vicinity, then throw in an 11 year old boy who wants to spend time with them both...believe me, I'd take your drama over mine any day of the week Selena' she said and took a large sip of her wine.

Selena laughed, Lucas and Matt alone would have been hard work but with Caleb in the mix that was a recipe for disaster. Selena had heard from her sources around town that Gail had somehow managed to get Matt Crower day leave once a week from Juniper House, well good for her as Selena had always liked Matt and was sad when he was taken away. In all honesty she knew it was inevitable that something would happen to get rid of Matt and Lucas had tolerated him for longer than she had expected.

Lucas must be losing his touch if he let Gail convince him to let the man out, either that or the lovely Miss Emory had more to offer in the form of sexual persuasion than Selena realised. She could not imagine Gail using her sexuality to get what she wanted; however, the only other thing Lucas would want was Caleb and nothing had changed with the boy recently, which meant Gail had done something herself to convince him.

Selena felt eyes on her and glanced around, Lucas had spotted them and was staring in their direction. Selena smiled devilishly at her ex and moved closer to Gail, knowing he would be suspicious. 'You're right, my life does seem to be a bit boring these days. How is our old Doctor holding up?' she asked and took a sip of her martini.

Gail shook her head, 'That small sip won't do if your going to sit with me Selena...' she said ignoring the question, '...I'm about 3 drinks ahead of you, I expect you to catch up'

Selena looked at her nemesis suspiciously then downed her martini, this prompted Gail to down her glass of wine. 'Now, now ladies...shouldn't you be takin' it easy on a school night?' Lucas asked appearing beside Gail, he had wandered over when he had spotted Selena leaning close to Gail.

Gail stood from her position in the booth, 'You can do what you want on a school night Sheriff, but we're getting another drink' she said, then walked past him to head for the bar and signalled for Selena to follow.

Selena stood up with her empty glass and shot Lucas a smug smile when she brushed passed him to follow Gail, she was beginning to find she was liking her nemesis more than anticipated with every moment she spent with her. Maybe the lovely Miss Emory was not as sweet and innocent as she had initially thought, it was an intriguing thought and Selena was dying to test her theory.

Lucas was dumbfounded, he knew Gail was angry over their earlier exchange; however, for her to disregard him for Selena, that seemed like something more. When he noticed Gail being handed two bottles of wine by the bartender then head for the door with Selena, he knew better than to intrude just yet and decided to give his love some space to work through whatever was really bothering her. Spotting Ben and Rita, he walked casually over to the couple with his drink.

* * *

Gail sat on a table with Selena behind Jimmy's Bar, looking out into the river. Her thoughts took her back to a time when Lucas had surprised her previously here by coming behind her unexpectedly and playing with her. She shook her head to push the thought of his touch away, she needed to be more concerned with Matt and what was the best way to help him.

Selena was watching her nemesis intently, the woman was a mystery. One minute she would get her back up and the next minute she would just be content drinking with her. They had both had a few glasses of wine in silence, this seemed to be the best time for Selena to get some answers. 'So, are you and our good Sheriff fighting?' she asked causally.

Gail regarded the woman next to her suspiciously, then let out a small laugh. 'We don't fight...I just want some space for the moment. Why do you care? Trouble with our good Doctor?' she shot back at her.

Selena smiled, Gail was not as overly open as other women when she had a lot to drink and she still managed to keep her guard up. 'Oh everything is peachy with Billy, when he's not rattling on about you that is' she said and took a large sip of her wine.

'It's in his nature to worry about people Selena...' Gail said, trying to help her friend. '...get over it. Besides, you've landed above your station. If I was you I'd do what I could to keep him happy where he is'

Selena shook her head, she did not need Gail to tell her how good she had it and to look down at her. Truth be told Selena was used to being passed between the men in this town and it had become like second nature, to the point were she would not even need Lucas to ask for her help with certain things anymore, she used to sense his desires and do it herself like an obedient little follower; however, being with Billy had made her wise up to how much she had been used and she would not willingly be that way again. 'Do you know what you've got Gail?...' she said with a slight bit of venom in her voice, '...I mean do you really know who you're giving yourself to at night?'

Gail stared defiantly at Selena, she had a pretty good idea what Lucas was and she had accepted her bad judgement of letting him in. She was not naive like she imagined Selena envisioned her to be, she knew Lucas could be inexcusable and she cursed herself at times for not caring.

Gail could feel rage rising from inside of her. She had made her bed and she would own the consequences of that in the future; however, for now she was content with being oblivious to all things that Lucas had done in the past and she did not need the judgement of this woman beside her. 'I know exactly who I'm doing Selena and I really don't care. Are you so full of morals now that you can judge him? You need to turn some of that judgement on your own relationship and consider whether Billy really know's who he's doing' she said standing up and walking towards the rail.

Selena shook her head, this was the Gail Emory that she was used to. Selena knew she was lucky that Billy did not appear to be phased by her past discretion's at least for now, he was a good man and should not be brought into this. She knew she should mind her own business when it came to Gail's relationship with her ex, but she could not help herself. 'You think you're so different than I was, you don't think I started out sweet and innocent like you Gail? That man will corrupt you and turn you into something unrecognisable'

Gail took a deep breath and focused on the slight ripples in the water, in an attempt to calm her anger. She had woken up in the middle of the night on a number of occasions with sweat dripping down her body, after having nightmares of doing terrible things. She had always had a sense of darkness inside her, from when she had first been visited by her foster father at the age of 9 and a rage had manifested itself to warn him off attempting to touch her. She had pushed that rage deep down over the years and even though she could feel it clawing to be freed when things seemed grim for her, she had kept it under control. Right now, Gail could feel the rage trying to surface and it was taking all of her self control to push it back down.

Gail turned towards Selena with an unusual glint in her eye, which Selena did not care for. 'Who do you think I am Selena? Why do you presume to know me? I'm not some innocent little girl who needs protecting, I've been in some horrific situations that you could not even begin to comprehend. You need to get rid of this sweet and innocent image that you're projecting onto me and open your eyes'

Selena stood up ready to challenge the women before her; however, she felt a barrier in her mind which prevented her from speaking.

'Stand down' Lucas ordered Selena.

Gail did not take her eyes off the woman in front of her, her hands were clenched into fists and she felt as though she was ready to pounce on Selena. It always seemed to lead to a confrontation of sorts when they got together.

Lucas paid little attention to his ex and walked past her to Gail. 'Breathe deep love, you don't wanna do that' he said holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

Gail stared at Selena for a moment longer, then turned back towards the water. She was not used to getting this worked up and over what? A few comments about Lucas. Gail needed to get a grip, it had been a long time since she had felt her rage trying to break free and this was not the time to lose control. She took a few deep breaths, picked up her drink and started to walk further down the pier away from Lucas.

Lucas watched Gail walk away from him, this little exchange intrigued him and he could feel his twin stirring inside him with excitement.

Selena stared at Gail's retreating figure for a moment, then turned her attention towards Lucas. 'It seems you're corruption of women knows no bounds Sheriff' she said, picking up her drink and turning towards the bar.

Lucas smiled, it appeared that he was finally making some real progress with his love.

'You coming?' Gail called back to Selena and Lucas looked at his ex surprised.

Selena was just as astonished as Lucas that Gail still wanted her company; however, she picked up the remaining bottle of wine, smirked at Lucas and followed Gail. Lucas had been correct, it was a school night but she would deal with the consequences of this tomorrow.

-To be continued-


	4. Chapter 4

Gail Emory tossed and turned in the bed, still half asleep and trying to get comfortable. The mattress felt unfamiliar to her and she was developing a dull ache in her back and shoulders. A soft hand brushed against her bare stomach making her smile contently to herself, she lay for a moment with her eyes still closed trying to decide whether to get up or lay a while longer with Lucas.

Something was not quite right here, but Gail pushed the feeling away and reached her hand down to caress the soft hand which rested on her stomach. Her eyes shot open when she realised it was not Lucas's hand that was touching her and she jumped out of the bed in shock. Her vision had not fully adjusted to the morning light; however, she could make out that she was in an unfamiliar bedroom and her heart sank in her chest.

'Calm down' a tired voice said from the bed and Gail sighed with relief when she recognised Selena's voice.

Selena sat up, rubbed her eyes and gave out a big yawn. She looked at Gail with surprise when she saw she was only wearing a navy blue vest and a thong, then lifted her covers up to see that she herself was only wearing a bra and a thong.

'Well, this is interesting' Billy said peering at both women. He had just dropped Caleb off at school after spending all night on Gail's coach, waiting for her to return home. He had been concerned when he saw Selena's car was still in the driveway; therefore, decided to come inside and investigate, as that was not like Selena to sleep in on a school day.

To his surprise he had stumbled across his girlfriend in her underwear and his friend wearing very little to cover her tanned figure. He could feel his excitement growing and tried to push away any suggestive thoughts, knowing both woman would have his hide if he said the wrong thing.

Gail looked from Billy to Selena, this could only get worse if Lucas decided to show up. 'Avert your eyes Doctor' she said sternly, recognising the suggestive look he was portraying. She did not have time for this and would deal with what happened later, right now she needed to find the rest of her clothes.

Selena smiled at the situation, it had been a while since she had woken up with a woman in her bed and she supposed this was one way to find out what the lovely Miss Emory could do. Sensing Gail was not in the mood for any playful banter, she glanced to the side of her bed and located Gail's clothes. Rolling over and reaching down, she grabbed the skirt and bra then passed it to her new companion. Gail nodded in gratitude and started to dress.

Billy stood still at the bedroom door staring at them both and Selena laughed, 'You'd think you'd never seen two women together, close your jaw honey' she said stretching and got out of the bed.

'Not a word of this to anyone' Gail said to Billy and shot him a warning glance.'This was intriguing...' she said turning her attention to Selena, '...we'll catch up over it soon'

Selena nodded, 'Anytime Miss Emory'

Gail regarded the woman suspiciously, then walked past Billy and left Selena's house. When she was outside and away from the pair, she put a hand over her mouth in shock. What the hell had happened after she left Lucas at the bar? She laughed to herself trying to brush off her discomfort and started walking towards her house, the fresh air would clear her mind and help her figure out what events had resulted in her spending the night with her lover's ex girlfriend.

* * *

Lucas stood at the head of the class, impatiently staring at his watch. Selena was never late and made a point of scolding any child or parent who dared to wander in after 9:00am. He wondered whether his love had a hand in this, he had chosen to leave the pair alone last night expecting Gail would get bored of Selena; however, judging by the lateness of his ex, he was beginning to think the pair had hit it off.

Lucas laughed out loud at the thought of the pair together and the children in the class looked a him expectantly, as though he was going to share the joke. He could do without Gail getting close to Selena and should step in before it was too late; however, he had an election to think about and less than a week to prepare for the results, which were set to be unveiled just before the fourth of July celebrations.

Caleb got up from his desk and walked to the front of the class. 'What's going on?...' he whispered, concerned, 'Gail didn't come home last night and now Miss Coombs is late.'

Lucas admired his boy and the fact that he was not content with just sitting silently like the rest of the children. Caleb had the confidence to ask questions, no matter what the consequences would be; this was a good trait to have and meant his boy stood out above the rest of the children. Lucas envisioned him becoming a good leader when he grew up and realised his full potential. 'There's nothing to worry about son...' he said leaning down to address Caleb privately, '...that cousin of your's is fine and Miss Coombs is just having a rare lie in'

Caleb regarded Lucas suspiciously for a moment, then returned to his desk. Lucas turned his full attention to the children in front of him and put on his best friendly voice. 'Right, you're all my honorary Deputies for the day' he said.

All the kids cheered in excitement apart from Caleb and Lucas smiled, he knew his boy would not be fooled by this charade. 'Now, first order of business for my new Deputies is to design posters for my campaign. Miss Coombs has given me authority here today, so I need you all to work together with the tools available to you and we'll impress her with all your hard work when she comes in'

Everyone around Caleb jumped up to find materials to complete Lucas's task; however, he knew Miss Coombs would not like them wasting a day colouring and decorating. He disregarded Lucas's orders, got up from his desk and wandered over to the window. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Merlyn stood under a tree and he waved at her.

'Who are you waving at son' Lucas asked, appearing behind him.

Caleb turned towards Lucas, then back towards Merlyn but she had disappeared. 'No one...' he lied, '...so, I don't wanna colour and make signs'

Lucas smiled, he had other plans for Caleb. 'I don't want you to do that either son. Ben's waitin' outside in the car, why don't you get out of here and go scout out my competition?'

Caleb looked around the class, the other children seemed oblivious to their conversation. 'I best not do that, Miss Coombs wouldn't be happy if I left'

'Look around you son, your teacher isn't here so it appears I'm in charge. Besides, I know you're worried about that cousin of yours, Ben will help you find her' Lucas said, pulling Caleb away from the window.

Caleb considered his options, it was either stay here and colour or do what he wants around town. It could be interesting going undercover to spy on Lucas's competition, he would be able to experience things like Gail does when she has a story to investigate. 'OK, I'm in. Just tell me what you need me to do'

* * *

Gail was led out of the Trinity Guardian newspaper building by a reporter named Danielle, who she had met previously when she first came to town. Danielle had always seemed nice; however, Gail had suspected she was too easily swayed by Lucas's charm when it came to reporting on certain things, therefore, she chose to steer clear of the woman as much as possible in their past encounters.

Danielle had contacted Gail a few days earlier offering her a meeting with the Editor of the newspaper, as it had come to their attention she was no longer in employment with the Charleston Post. Gail had warned Lucas about interfering with her professional life; however, this meeting had his name written all over it.

Although she would not usually accept any outside help when it came to her career, she had always dreamed of working for the Guardian since she was a little girl and she did need some form of steady employment if she was going to meet up with a Judge over Caleb; therefore, she had chosen to accept the meeting and see what came from it.

She had recognised the Editor Mark instantly from when her parents worked at the Guardian, he had been a junior reporter at the time and had apparently worked his way up to the top. Mark had offered her a position straight away as a head reporter based on her experience with the Charleston Post, he explained he had always been a fan of her work and was hoping he would get an opportunity to snap her up.

Gail was not naive or so desperate that she would jump at the first offer that came her way, she had told him she would ponder over what they had discussed; however, she had some terms of her own that she wanted to be considered. Gail had told him that he needed to match her salary at the Post and she wanted a guarantee that the content of any stories she brought to him would be untouched, as she would not deal with favouritism or corruption.

It appeared that Mark was not naive either and wanted something in return before agreeing to her terms. Had Gail not been still distracted from waking up in Selena's bed, she would have spotted his request from a mile away. Mark wanted her to cover the Sheriff's election, stating he knew from her past stories that her morals were as pure as her mothers were and he wanted a non-biased take on the election, which he did not believe he could get from his other reporters.

Considering Gail was in bed with one of the candidates, she would not have thought she was the best person for the job; however, in usual fashion she would keep her personal and professional life separate, therefore, she had accepted his request.

After being escorted out of the building, Gail took a moment to gather her thoughts. She usually liked to have a sufficient amount of time to be able to dig into the lives of candidates when she was covering an election; however, in this instance she had less than a week to prove to her potential new boss that she was as good as her reputation indicated.

Gail ran her hands through her hair and looked up at the sky in frustration. It looked like she was going to be busier than she had initially anticipated.

* * *

Ben was driving around the streets of Trinity, with Caleb in the front seat with him. He felt uncomfortable knowing the boy should be in school; however, Lucas was his boss and he had been ordered to take him wherever her wanted to go. Caleb was a good kid and told Ben to do whatever he needed to do first before worrying about taking him anywhere; therefore, Ben had decided to get his patrol of the town out of the way before taking Caleb to his desired destination.

There was a lot of small talk throughout the patrol and he had noted that Caleb was concerned about his cousin. Ben saw Gail first thing each morning for their scheduled daily coffee before his shift at the Sheriff's Station started and did not think she was acting any stranger than usual. If anything she had gotten more comfortable with Ben, which made her more funny and playful in the morning. They both had a running motto of man up and laugh through the drama they had to deal with on a daily basis, for him it was Barbara Joy and for Gail it was being stranded in Trinity with an 11 year old boy.

It was not Ben's place to get involved, but he knew Gail was fine and he had tried to reassure Caleb of this. Regardless of what Ben said to the boy he still wanted to find his cousin to see for himself, Ben did not want Caleb disturbing Gail especially when she had told him she had a job interview today; however, the boy was relentless just like his cousin, so he drove into town hoping they would stumble across her and he would not get the blame.

To his surprise, Ben turned the corner onto main street and there was Gail with an ice cream in her hand casually walking down the street. Caleb opened the window and shouted her name in excitement, then Ben pulled up next to her trying to ignore the disapproving stare she was giving him.

Caleb jumped out of the car, ran up to his cousin and threw his arms around her. Gail was taken aback by this sign of affection but hugged him back. 'What on earth are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?' she asked.

Caleb let go of his cousin and licked his lips when he saw the ice cream she was holding, 'Can I have one of those?' he asked ignoring her question.

Gail sighed, she knew better than attempting to get answers from Caleb when he was distracted; therefore, she gave him her purse and signalled for him to get an ice cream, then turned her attention towards Ben when Caleb had gone. 'What is this Ben?' she asked in a serious tone.

Ben got out of the car and stretched, 'Don't blame me, this was Lucas's doing. All I know is I got ordered to take him wherever he wanted to go'

Gail shook her head in frustration and took a lick of her ice cream before it began to melt. Of course this was Lucas, why would she think it was down to anyone else. 'Did Caleb say where he was going?'

Ben shrugged 'Nope, he wanted to find you first to make sure you were OK and this is as far as we got'

Gail glanced down the street and saw Caleb reappear from the ice cream shop, then moved a few steps closer to Ben. 'Was there any indication of what Lucas was up to with him?' she whispered, as if Lucas or Caleb would somehow hear her.

Ben shook his head, 'No and I didn't really wanna ask, you know I'd rather keep out of these things' he said, knowing Gail would not tell Lucas how he felt.

Gail nodded, she felt for Ben due to him always seeming to be thrust into Lucas's plans; however, not this time if she could help it. 'That's fine Ben, you run along...I got this' she said smiling at Caleb as he approached.

Ben looked at Gail suspiciously, 'Are you sure? Lucas said I had to take him...'

'I'm sure...' she said, cutting Ben off mid sentence, '...I'm going to take my only living relative wherever he wants to go' and with that she placed her arm around Caleb and started to lead him away from Ben.

Ben would not argue with Gail. Besides, at least this way he managed to stay out of whatever Lucas was planning.

* * *

Caleb tapped impatiently on his knee while sat in the front of Gail's car. He was glad he had come across her and confirmed she was OK; however, he wanted to get on with the task he told Lucas he would complete.

Gail was watching her cousin carefully, she was fully aware that he did not want her to get in the way of the task he was doing for Lucas; however, she would not let him go that easily. She started to quietly hum to The Rolling Stones's 'Brown Sugar' which had come on the radio station, before realising the song was not appropriate for a young boy. She switched the station over and turned the volume up when she she came across Faith Hill's song 'Breathe', when she started singing along softly she spotted Caleb watching her curiously out of the corner of her eye.

Caleb regarded Gail carefully, she had not asked much about his task and now she was humming along to a catchy tune on the radio acting as though she did not care. His cousin was a mystery, one minute she would be intent on doing something then the next she would be relaxed and humming along to a song. Caleb did not know what to make of her behaviour, but he liked the sweet sound of her voice.

He turned his attention to the buildings they were passing and started to hum along to the song. Gail had such a diverse taste in music and he had not come across anything she listened to that he did not like the sound of. Caleb was taken out of his thoughts by the sign for Jackson's Pharmaceuticals, he could not believe it when Gail parked next to the building and turned off the car engine.

Gail unbuckled her seat belt and reached for her bag behind the seat, she might as well check out the opposing candidate for Sheriff while she considered what to do with her cousin. 'You wait here, I need to get something from the drug store' she said squeezing Caleb's knee, then got out of the car.

Caleb watched his cousin enter the store, then slowly got out of the car. It was strange that Gail had driven him to the exact place he wanted to be and he started to walk to the alley at the side of the building. When he approached, he heard a faint voice talking and decided to investigate the source of the sound. He turned around the corner at the back of the building and stared suspiciously at the young boy talking to his action figures. The boy appeared quite fragile, with a tube leading into his nose and an oxygen tank on his back. Caleb was taken aback by how weak this boy looked and felt bad for what he was about to do. 'Hey there' he called.

The boy jumped up in shock and just stared for a moment at the unexpected intrusion. No one ever talked to him, other kids chose to keep their distance due to his breathing condition; therefore, he did not know what to do when the boy in front of him was addressing him so casually. 'Hey...w..what do you want?' he stuttered.

Caleb smiled, the boy was harmless and seemed wary of him. 'I just wanted to say hey...' he lied, 'Whatcha' doin'?'

The boy looked down at the action figures in his hands and shrugged, 'I'm just playin'' he said and continued to regard Caleb cautiously.

This was going to be harder than he thought, Caleb had told Lucas he would come here and befriend his competitions son; however, the boy seemed very suspicious of him. Gail had told him stories of the adventures she had experienced as a reporter previously and had explained that you needed to find a common ground with a person to gain their trust. Caleb glanced at the figures in the boys hand and instantly recognised Iron Man. 'Is Iron Man your favourite Avenger? I can't chose between Thor or the Hulk myself' he said, taking a few steps closer.

The boys eyes lit up at the mention of his favourite superhero, 'Iron Man is amazing! He can shoot things and fly...I'm Carter Jackson, what's your name?' he asked.

Caleb smiled, he could tell he had found his way in as the boy visibly relaxed. 'I'm Caleb Temple and Thor can fly too, he also has a cool hammer that no one can use but him!'

Carter laughed, it was nice to be able to have a normal conversation with another boy. The name sounded familiar to him, but he could not put his finger on it. 'Have we met before? I recognise your name' he asked.

Caleb looked down at his feet. Of course he knew his name, everyone knew about the boy who's father had murdered his own daughter then killed himself. 'We've not met before, I just heard a noise and came around back to investigate' Caleb said, pushing down his feelings of sadness. He had been trusted to do a job and he would do it.

Carter had not realised he had been so loud when he was playing, he would have to remember to be quieter in the future to make sure he did not disturb his fathers customers. Regardless of whether he knew the boy in front of him, he liked having some company. 'Do you wanna play?' he asked, reaching for his Thor figure and holding it out.

Caleb smiled, he had found his opening.

* * *

Gail walked up and down the aisles of the drug store slowly, secretly observing the owner behind the counter. He was an attractive man for his age and the short sleeved shirt he was wearing showed off his toned arms. On the surface he seemed friendly and was pleasant to the elderly woman who was waiting for her prescription; however, Gail had been doing her job long enough to know that things were not always as they appeared.

When the man behind the counter handed the women her prescription she left smiling, leaving Gail to be the only customer left in the store. She slowly wandered to the toiletries section and picked up some shampoo and toothpaste for Caleb, then casually walked to the medication aisle pondering over how she would achieve her goal.

After she had left the Trinity Guardian building, she had visited Rita in the hospital. Rita somehow knew all the gossip in this town and she had no problem telling Gail the stories she had heard about the new candidate for Sheriff. It was apparent that although Calvin Jackson liked to portray himself as a good god fearing family man, he may have a soft spot for a pretty woman.

Gail could feel his eyes on her and smiled, it appeared she would not have to try too hard to be noticed. She picked up some antiseptic cream and walked up to the counter, placing the items down she glanced towards the small items by the till and picked up some lip balm.

The man behind the counter smiled and began scanning the items through the till. 'I don't think I've seen you around here before ma'am. My name is Calvin and I own this place' he said in a welcoming tone.

'I'm Gail...' she said returning his smile, '...and I haven't been up this side of town much'

Calvin tried not to stare at the beautiful woman in front of him, she was softly spoken but had an air of confidence about her. 'Nice to meet you Gail, what brings you to my end of town on a lovely day like this'

Gail could sense Calvin was being different with her than he had been with the elderly woman before. She had been a chubby child growing up, but when she lost all of her excess weight she had began to notice the subtle differences in how men and boys would behave around her. Gail did not perceive herself as attractive, she was a firm believer that beauty was on the inside and she had several flaws like every other woman out there; however, she always could tell when a mans manner changed around her and she did not like the thought of being undressed by their eyes.

Gail sometimes hated the levels she had to stoop to for her job; however, this was her chosen profession and it was not in her nature to fail. Gail hoped Calvin was just making friendly small talk, but her gut was telling her it was something else. She reached up to the clip holding her hair up off her shoulders and removed it, allowing her to run her fingers freely through her hair. She then placed her arms behind her head and stretched, trying to portray a relaxed demeanour. 'I was just wandering around in the sun, it's so hot outside I thought I'd take solace in your shop and pick up a few bits while I was here'

Calving tried to be discreet with his small intake of breath, when he saw her thick brown her fall loosely over her shoulders and around her beautiful face. He felt the urge to reach up and move a strand of hair from her cheek, but he would have to resist. 'Well, seen as your a new customer these are on the house. You can feel free to wander into my little shop any time you like. How old is your child if you don't mind me asking?' he said, noticing the child's shampoo. He had spotted that Gail was not wearing a wedding ring, which peaked his interest even more.

Gail was taken aback by the question, 'Child?' she asked confused, then spotted the shampoo that was being placed into a bag. 'Oh he's not mine...' she laughed, 'It's for my 11 year old cousin, I'm taking care of him for a while. Have you got any children?' she asked, trying to keep him engaged in conversation.

Calvin reached for the lip balm in Gail's hand to scan it through the till and let his thumb stroke her finger tips gently, she did not pull away which was a good sign and he could feel himself getting excited with the little shot of electricity that the touch produced. 'I have a 10 year old of my own and he can be a hand full. That's very nice of you to look after your cousin, how long have you got him for?' he said, trying to keep this causal until he could find a way in. Usually he waited until he knew a woman better; however, there was something about Gail which was drawing him to her.

Gail would not volunteer the identity of her cousin, in case he had heard gossip about her relationship with Lucas so she kept everything on a first name basis. 'Caleb can be demanding too, I wouldn't change him for the world though. I'm not sure how long I have with him yet, but it's best to be prepared' she said smiling and nodding towards the toiletries in the bag.

Calvin handed Gail the bag and let his eyes travel down her body then back up again, she did not seem to back away; therefore, he was considering making his move. Calvin was just about to ask her to join him for a drink, but was interrupted by his son running through the back door with another boy in tow. 'Speaking of my little terror' he said and looked disapprovingly at Carter, who just stared at his feet when he realised he had interrupted something.

'Yours and mine both' Gail said stepping to the side and looking at Caleb suspiciously, what could he be doing?

Caleb glanced at Gail, who looked different from when she had left him in her car. He was playing with Carter and they had gotten carried away with their superhero battle and burst through the back door of the shop. 'Hey cous'' he said, hoping she would not be mad when she saw he had not waited in the car.

'Hey yourself' she said and turned her attention towards Calvin, who was clearly glancing at her legs and breasts. 'Boys huh?'

Calvin smiled, it seemed his boy had done something right for a change. He did not have any friends, yet somehow he had stumbled across Gail's cousin which could give him an excuse to spend some time with her. 'It looks like they've hit it off, maybe we should let them play a while and go for a drink?' he said, hoping she wanted to spend more time with him too.

Gail glanced towards Caleb then back at Calvin. The boy looked fragile with an oxygen tank strapped to his back, which made her feel bad about what she was about to do. 'I'd love to, but I've got to get him back to school. I'll tell you what though, I'm taking Caleb to see the 7 o' clock showing of the Avengers tonight and wouldn't mind if your little boy wants to come along' she said, wanting an end to this so she could talk to Caleb.

Calvin smiled, this was perfect and he could tell his wife it was just a play date for Carter. 'We'd love to join you, should we meet here about 6:30pm?'

Gail laughed, this was way to easy. '6:30pm it is, we'll see you then' she said and turned towards her cousin, 'Come on Caleb, lets get you back to school'

* * *

The drive back to the school had been uncomfortable, Gail had not been impressed that Caleb had not waited in the car like she had ordered and he did not want to incriminate himself so chose to stay silent.

When they arrived in the school car park, Gail switched off the engine and grabbed Caleb's arm before he could jump out of the car. 'What was that?' she asked in a serious tone.

Caleb did not want to get into trouble so he acted dumb, 'What? I got bored and just found a kid to play with' he said innocently.

Gail laughed, 'Oh, so we're lying to each other now?'

Caleb looked at his cousin in the eyes, he did not want to lie to her. 'I was there for Lucas, what did you want to go there for?' he asked, he knew it was no coincidence that his cousin had stopped there.

Gail shook her head, she could not scold him for lying then do the same, especially when he had told her the truth quickly. 'I'm covering the election and have to check out the candidates...' she sighed, '..now what did Lucas want you to do?'

'He didn't tell me to do nothin', just check out his competition'

Gail brought her hand up to her head in exasperation and laughed. This was interesting, it appeared they were both after the same thing. 'Why would you want to do that?' she asked.

Caleb shrugged, 'You always tell me I would make a good reporter, I wanted to see what it was like working as you would'

Gail shook her head, clearly she had not been the best role model for her cousin if he wanted to run around poking his nose into other peoples business. 'And what did you find?'

Caleb smiled, 'What did you find?' he asked.

Gail bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smile, she knew she should not be amused by this display but she was. It was impressive that he was smart enough to keep his findings to himself, he did not know to talk to her 'off the record' so she could use anything he gave her. 'OK...you want to be like that then it's fine, but if you find out anything that could hurt someone you're to tell me straight away. You promise me, or I'll make you sit this little play date out'

Caleb looked down at his hands, he was enjoying himself and really wanted to go tonight. 'OK, I promise cous''

Gail smiled, this little game may be fun for him; however, she did not want him involved in anything serious. 'Thank you, now run along to class' she said and leaned over to give him a hug.

Caleb embraced his cousin affectionately, then got out of the car and ran towards the school entrance.

* * *

It was early evening when Lucas Buck strolled casually into the pet store where Sandra Jackson worked, he knew he should not be so bold; however, he was bored and was in a mischievous mood. The bell above the door rang to confirm his entry and he smiled at the tired looking woman behind the counter, who he knew to be Sandra.

Lucas walked slowly around the store looking from hamsters to turtles, then his eyes settled on a German Shepherd puppy. The pup stood up in the cage and let out a low growl when he came close, he could sense the defiance in the animal as it stood it's ground staring at him. Lucas laughed and turned towards Sandra, 'Stubborn little thing ain't it?'

Sandra came from behind the counter and approached Lucas, 'He was abandoned here a month ago when the previous owners gave up on him after only 2 weeks, it's a shame really. Are you looking for a little companion Sheriff?'

Lucas smiled, he would not have to pretend if Sandra knew who he was. 'Me? No ma'am, I've got no problem with companionship. How about you? You're here late tonight, no plans with that husband of yours?' he asked, knowing about the play date due to Caleb.

Sandra had wanted to leave work at her usual time and spend the night with her family; however, Calvin had called her earlier to inform her he had decided to take Carter on a play date and she should not wait up for them. She wanted to be home, but there was no point in being alone in that house wondering what her husband was getting up to so she had decided to stay late. 'Whatever plans I have are none of your business Sheriff' she said defensively.

Lucas turned towards the pup, 'Looks like someone is more cranky than you here boy' he said and smiled when the puppy tried to climb the cage to inspect him closer. 'I'm not trying to offend ma'am but when I see a pretty woman all on her lonesome it just makes me wonder why, that's all'

Sandra smiled, it had been a long time since anyone had given her a compliment. She was not stupid, she suspected her husband was not always entirely honest with her when he was late coming home; however, they had a good life and providing he came home to her at the end of the night, she could forgive his indiscretions. 'No need to worry about me Sheriff, I'd be more concerned with your own companionship'

Lucas laughed, he liked it when they fought back. Sandra seemed to have more of a spark in her than her husband did. He decided he would not push her as her voluntary ignorance reminded her a little of Gail, besides it was Calvin that had chosen to run against him and he would deal with him shortly.

* * *

Gail left the Cinema with Caleb, Ben, Ben Jr, Calvin and Carter. After she had returned Caleb to school, she had done some digging on Calvin and found that he was very hands-on when it came to his indiscretions; therefore, she convinced Ben to meet her at the Cinema, as she had previously invited Ben Jr and thought it was best to have another adult present.

Calvin had sat next to her and was constantly stroking her arm or knee in an attempt to try to seduce her. It was as though he had no respect for his wife or his son, who was sitting next to Caleb a few seats down. She had managed to get him to open up to her about the election and why he had chosen to run against Lucas, apparently him and a few other Trinity residents believed it was time for a change. Gail was happy that this little play date had gotten her some information for her story and hoped Caleb had managed to get what he wanted, although she disapproved of him using an ill young child for it.

On the way out of the Cinema, Calvin had pulled her to one side and requested that she meet him somewhere private tomorrow. Gail had no desire to get to know this man on a personal level and had instructed him to go home to his wife. After she had said her goodbyes to Ben and dropped Caleb off at the boarding house, despite his objections, she drove straight to her place with the intention of having a long hot shower to wash away the dirtiness she felt due to her actions of the day.

Gail got out of her car and let out a loud sigh when she spotted Lucas on her porch with a glass of red wine in his hand. When she approached him, she noticed he seemed to have a smug look about him and became suspicious. 'Evening Sheriff, to what do I owe the pleasure?'

Lucas moved slightly from his position on the porch to hand her a glass of wine, then moved back to where he was initially stood. 'I thought a celebration may be in order after your successful job interview, congratulations on your new position Miss Emory' he said and raised his glass up for her to toast.

Gail smiled, she did not buy this act for a second; however, she would play along in the hopes it would distract her from the unclean feeling she had. 'This is a little premature as I've not accepted the position yet, but thank you' she said giving his glass a small tap with hers and taking a large sip of her wine.

Lucas watched her carefully, he was trying his best not to pry into her activities of the day; however, her deflated mood was bothering him. Lucas raised his free hand to her cheek and stroked it tenderly, then turned away from her and walked behind her porch swing. 'Well, if this celebration is premature you wont be wanting this' he said picking up a large box.

Gail glanced from the box to Lucas's face, there was that smug look again. She was not one for surprises; however, she was intrigued as to what the contents of the box was and why he was so impressed with himself. Gail took a few steps forward and reached for the lid, then let out a small scream when the lid jolted up. She was not impressed with this display, but could not stop the nervous laugh that was coming out of her mouth.

Lucas pushed the box closer to her, 'It's OK Darlin', it won't bite' he said.

Gail looked at him suspiciously, 'It?' she asked then reached for the lid again. Before she had a chance to lift the lid up and inspect the contents, a small black nose popped out and sniffed her fingers. Gail jumped back in shock, shot Lucas an unimpressed look and then just pulled the lid off quickly to get this over with. To her surprise, there was a small German Shepherd puppy staring curiously at her.

Lucas smiled at her apprehensive reaction, she looked genuinely gobsmacked. 'Go ahead and pick it up Darlin', he's yours'

Gail shook her head, she was barely managing to look after herself and Caleb let alone a puppy. 'What is this Lucas? Whatever possessed you to get me a dog?' she asked.

Lucas shrugged and glanced into the box, 'Well, seen as you won't let me near you Darlin', I thought you could use a different form of companionship at night'

Gail exhaled deeply in exasperation, his actions were infuriatingly sweet; however, she did not need this gesture or to be responsible for something else.

The puppy had ventured closer to her and pulled itself up by the top edges of the box, in an attempt to give her a sniff. When it started to whine softly, she could not resist any longer and had to pick it up. Gail could not help but smile when it started to lick her hand and she brought it to rest on her chest. 'You're unbelievable' she said, while stroking the puppy.

Lucas placed the box down and walked towards his love, who was tenderly stroking the puppy as it rested comfortably on her chest. Lucas envied the puppy's position and wanted to drag her to bed right there and then; however, he would prove that he could respect her wishes and give her some space. Lucas picked up his glass of wine and downed it in one gulp then cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her lips softly, ignoring the small growl from the puppy. 'Sweet dreams love' he said and walked off the porch and towards his car that was parked further down the street.

-To be continued-


	5. Chapter 5

It was a warm third of July morning, the day before the election for Sheriff. All seemed quiet throughout the town and Lucas sat in his favourite breakfast place waiting for his son to join him, he had ordered them both pancakes and syrup knowing his boy had a big appetite like he had.

Lucas found himself pondering over the weeks events while waiting for the breakfast to come. Between Caleb spying on his competition to Gail pulling away from him completely and becoming more friendly with Selena, it had certainly been a strange week.

Caleb rushed through the diner doors and heading quickly for Lucas, 'Sorry I'm late, Miss Holt gave me the third degree when she caught me trying to head out early.

Lucas smiled, 'It's not a problem son, you should consider a more suitable living arrangement in the future though. So, what did you find?' he said flashing the waitress a charming smile as she lay the plates of pancakes in front of them.

Caleb placed his school bag to one side then started to eat the pancakes that were waiting for him. 'Carter couldn't tell me much, but I heard Mrs Jackson yelling at Mr Jackson over coming home late yesterday night. She was crying, which made Carter cry...I don't think I wanna do this no more Lucas' he said, looking down at his plate.

Lucas nodded, it appeared there was trouble with the good god fearing family man. 'You don't have to do anything else son, I've got what I need. You did good though...has that cousin of yours managed to dig up anything worth printing?' he asked, knowing that Gail had tried to find out information regarding him as well as Calvin.

Caleb shrugged, 'She doesn't tell me nothin' about what she's found, she was askin' about you though'

Lucas smiled, 'Oh, in what way?'

Caleb started to eat his pancakes again, he would need to hurry if he was to be in time for school. 'Just askin' what you've been up to and what we talk about'

'What did you tell her?' Lucas asked, while cutting into his pancakes.

Caleb smiled mischievously, 'I told her that she would need to give up some of her information if she wanted some of mine'

Lucas laughed, 'That's my boy'

* * *

Gail reluctantly opened her eyes at the sound of her alarm and tried to stretch; however, the puppy which lay on her chest prevented her from doing so. Considering the puppy was so small, it had no problem finding a way up onto her bed.

Gail picked the puppy up gently in both hands, raised it above her head, kissed it's nose and then placed it on her pillow so she could get out of the bed. She laughed when the puppy stretched it's legs and gave out a small yawn. She had initially been worried about having a pet; however, her new companion had proven to be just what she needed to get through this past week. It appeared that Lucas had done good after all.

The smell of bacon brought her out of her thoughts and she exited her bedroom, to head for her kitchen. To her surprise Selena was cooking her breakfast, wearing one of her long faded Bon Jovi T-Shirts. 'Have you been going through my things' Gail asked, walking towards her coffee machine.

Selena laughed, 'Would you rather me cook us breakfast just in my bra and panties?' she asked, and put some bread in the toaster.

Gail shook her head, she had not shown the best judgement recently and had allowed Selena to stay the night after they had drank 3 bottles of wine between them. She had no desire to befriend Selena; however, the woman had been taking her mind off the upcoming fourth of July celebrations, which had made the past week bearable and she had unknowingly given her some information about Lucas's past.

The puppy came wandering into the kitchen and tried to jump on Selena's leg to reach the food that was cooking. 'You should have named this thing by now, I can't tell something off that doesn't have a name'

Gail had not thought that much about her new companion, she was not used to pets and did not know where to begin in trying to name such a thing. Caleb had wanted to name the pup Merlyn; however, she would not allow it. It seemed selfish but this animal was hers and she wanted to keep it that way. She would name him when an appropriate name presented itself and it would be a happy name, not one that would cause sadness. 'Leave him alone, he's not a thing. I'll name him when I want and I don't need anyone else's input on the matter'

Selena smiled, 'Wow, someone's woken up on the wrong side of the bed...how do you like your eggs?'

'Slightly runny in the middle' Gail said, shaking her head and ran her fingers through her hair.

Reality was beginning seep through and she was not looking forward to the days ahead. Not only was she pent up from not allowing Lucas to come near her, but she also had Calvin trying to seduce her on a daily basis. He was yet to realise that she was a reporter and would have a big shock if she decided to publish his indiscretions in her article. Gail had no desire to break up a family and so far her article was just a general take on the election and candidates; therefore, she did not feel he need to publish all of this mans dirty secrets.

What she had noticed was how strong his little boy was for coping with his illness. Carter was a timid child who came across as weak, but he just seemed to get on with his life without a complaint and she disapproved of Caleb using him for Lucas's gain. She had to use people on a daily basis when she was in Charleston, to get the inside scoop; therefore, she could not judge her cousin too much, but she hoped he was not hurting Carter with whatever he was doing.

The puppy began pawing at her bare feet in an attempt to get her attention, Gail picked him up and let him snuggle into her neck. Lucas would not be impressed with the good things she was going to mention about Carter in her story, it would be the type of things that voters paid attention to. She had vowed to be non-biased with this story and she would keep her word, no matter how it would impact Lucas's campaign. This was one of the reasons why she had made Lucas stay away, she did not want to be swayed by his charms.

No, she had a job to do and she would report fairly on the election no matter what.

* * *

The morning of the fourth of July came and passed without incident. Caleb woke up later than usual and rushed to his cousins house on his bike, wanting to make sure she was OK; however, her car was not in the driveway, which indicated she had left early.

Gail had not spent much time with him recently, she was always busy with her story or had made plans to go out at night. Caleb did not like how distant his cousin had become; however, Merlyn had told him to give her some space so she could work through her issues.

As Gail clearly did not want to be around him this morning, he decided he would see if Lucas was home.

* * *

Gail sat patiently on her car bonnet wearing a small pair of denim shorts, a thin strapped maroon vest and a pair of trainers. She had chosen to head to Juniper House as soon as she had woken up and brought her puppy with her.

When she had approached the front desk in her casual attire, the receptionist had glared at her disapprovingly but did not argue when Gail told her she was taking Matt Crower out early. The receptionist signalled for her to wait outside and an orderly would bring him out when he was ready, Gail had been waiting for 15 minutes and would be marching straight back in there if her friend was not brought to her soon.

As if reading her mind, an orderly pushed Matt out of the front entrance and she could see the concern on his face. 'What's going on Gail? Is everything OK?' he asked when he walked up to her.

Gail jumped off the bonnet of her car and gave her friend a hug, 'What, I can't come and get you early? Don't look so worried, I decided we're going for a long walk and wanted to start before it got too hot'

Matt relaxed and smiled at Gail's casual clothes. It was not often she wore this type of attire, unless she was going to do some demanding activity with Caleb. He knew what day it was and assumed this was his friend trying to keep herself occupied so she did not have to face the anniversary. Matt had no choice but to play along and headed towards the front passenger seat.

'Jesus!' he yelled, when he opened the door to a puppy growling and jumping up at him.

Gail laughed, got into the drivers seat and reached for her puppy. 'Sorry, I should've warned you. This is my new companion, we're going to see how well he does out in the open'

Matt shook his head then laughed at how silly he must have looked. He reached for the puppy and smiled when it was reluctant to leave Gail, he knew what that felt like. 'Since when do you own a pet?' he asked, knowing she had no desire to take on anymore responsibilities.

'He was a gift and it's as not as though I could return him' she said, turning on the engine and driving out of Juniper car park.

Matt smiled, the puppy seemed wary of him and stood tall as if protecting his friend. The tiny thing appeared to have no idea that he could just pick him up and throw him to the back seat, if he wanted to do anything to his master. 'What's his name?'

'Not sure yet, I'm waiting to see what best suits him. If you've not eaten yet, I've done us a little picnic which should get us through most of the day. Are you ready to go exploring?'

Matt laughed, 'Why not'

* * *

Lucas sat in his dark office drumming his fingers on the desk in front of him impatiently. It was nearly time for him to do the rounds and greet his townspeople, to ensure the votes would go his way; however, all he could think about was Gail.

Caleb had turned up at his house earlier this morning, just as he had sat down to read Gail's article. She had painted Calvin's son as some sort of hero, but had not mentioned much about Calvin himself except that he was pleasant to his customers and his wife worked in the local pet store.

Lucas had thrown the newspaper down in anger before finishing the article, believing his love was working against him to get Calvin elected in his place; however, Caleb had picked up the paper and continued reading.

It turned out that Gail had spoken to a number of Trinity residents about the good things that Lucas had done. She featured a story by Bertie, a blind member of the community who he had helped keep his home, in addition to other Trinity residents he had helped throughout the years. When Caleb had read the remainder of the article to him he realised that his love had not forsaken him, she had given a fair report with the information she had and clearly chose not to publish any bad information about him.

Caleb had been worried about his cousin, as she was nowhere to be found on the anniversary of her parents death and Lucas had sent Caleb to Selena to find out what his cousin had been up to, as they had been spending a lot of time together recently. He should not let the boys ramblings concern him on election day; however, this election would be a bittersweet victory if he knew his love was in pain. Although he had vowed not to, Lucas opened his minds eye in an attempt to locate Gail. As long as he knew she was working through her pain, he could relax and continue on with his tasks.

Lucas felt the wind on his face and was aware of the open fields all around. He spotted his love with her new puppy companion and what appeared to be a man, in a secluded spot not far from the south end of the river. Lucas sat upright ready to jump out of his seat, when he realised it was Harvard's day leave and that was who was accompanying Gail. He let out a relieved sigh and sat back in his chair, he still did not approve of Gail spending time alone with the man who attempted to kill him; however, she had taken the puppy he had gotten her and she would be reminded of him every time she looked at it.

Lucas smiled and stood up, now that he was content with his love's whereabouts it was time to tackle the rest of the election tasks.

* * *

Gail was drenched in sweat by the time they had finished their exploration of the south side of the river. Her puppy would not walk a long distance; however, he was drawn to large rocks and would scramble out of her grasp to jump all over them. This amused Gail and she decided she would name him Rocky, a tough little pup who was obsessed with high things.

After sitting down and eating their lunch, Gail and Matt had a long overdue heart felt conversation. She had opened up to her friend about the pain she was going through dealing with the anniversary of her parents deaths, it was not a new thing for her; however, this town did not present enough of a distraction to enable her to push her feelings aside, like she used to do in Charleston.

Matt had finally told Gail about how he felt in Juniper House, he was going stir crazy and beginning to see things. It was evident to her that these little day trips were the only thing keeping her friend sane and it broke her heart knowing she would have to return him to that horrible place later today.

When they had finished talking Matt got up and walked towards the river, admiring the calmness of the water. It occurred to him that he could just run right now and be free of Juniper House once and for all.

As if sensing his thoughts, Gail came behind him and rested her head on his shoulder. 'I wish it could be like it was last year' she said with a sadness in her voice.

Matt smiled, 'You mean before I took a shot at the Sheriff?' he said lifting his arm up and placing it tenderly around her shoulders. He could not leave her no matter how much he wanted to run, part of him loved his friend and she felt like family to him. He had no one else but Caleb and Gail; therefore, he had to try and be strong for them.

Gail leaned silently into her friend and stared out into the water. It felt nice being here, just like old times when they did not care about anything but their friendship. She inhaled deeply, then pushed away from Matt gently. 'You know what, I'm sick of hiding you. I'm not taking you back to Juniper anytime soon, you're going to be my date for the Sheriff's election tonight'

Matt took a step back and shook his head. 'I don't want to be with anyone else Gail, just you and Caleb'

'Shush...' she said sternly, '...if I'm going to try and get you freed from that horrible place, you have to prove that you can play well with others'

'Gail, Lucas will not like this intrusion on his election'

'Leave Lucas to me' she said confidently. 'Now come on, we need to get you some new clothes'

* * *

Lucas stood pacing in his office, he had done his duty and feigned interest in his townspeople today; however, now he just wanted to get the results over with so his town could get back to normality. He had no doubt that he would win and Gail's article had strengthened his campaign, which was lucky for Calvin as it meant he did not have to let his twin out to play.

Lucas had changed into a navy blue shirt and black pants, he was debating whether to wear his black waist coat to complete the outfit when he sensed himself being watched. Turning around, he inhaled deeply when he saw Gail stood by his office door wearing a short floral dress, with her hair in loose curls over her shoulders.

'I like that shirt without the waistcoat' she said as though she had read his mind and walked towards him, then gently ran her hands down his chest. 'Is this a bad time?' she asked.

Lucas stepped out of her reach, walked behind her and closed the office door to give them more privacy. 'It's never a bad time for you Darlin'. To what do I owe the pleasure?' he asked, trying to remain cool.

Gail turned towards him and smiled, 'I just thought I'd come to see how you're doing, are you nervous for the results?'

'Me?' he laughed, 'Not even a little bit, I think your article may have sealed the final votes in my favour. I should thank you for the kind words you published'

Gail shook her head, 'That wasn't my intention, some people stepped up and I reported on what they said. Your townspeople are very tight lipped about any negative things you've done, it's them that you should be thanking'

Lucas walked towards his love, he was amused that she still tried to believe she was objective over the election. 'OK, so you didn't answer my question Darlin'. Is there something I can do for you?'

Gail bit her bottom lip, she could feel her body yearning for him but she did not want to give in to him fully. She had chosen to come here, this was not his doing. She had left Matt with Caleb at her place and decided this would be the best time to address Lucas. 'I actually came here to thank you' she said softly.

Lucas was taken aback, this was not like his love. 'Oh, what for?'

Gail smiled, 'My little companion, he's done me the world of good this past week. I initially thought I wouldn't have time for a pet, but he's been great and I wanted to thank you for bringing him to me'

Lucas took a step forward so their bodies were almost touching. her scent was driving him crazy and it was taking all of his self control not to bend her over his desk. 'I hadn't intended the little thing to replace me, but I'm glad he's keeping you warm at night'

Gail stared directly into Lucas's eyes and tried to ignore their closeness. 'Him...he's not a thing and I never said he had replaced you Sheriff' she said sweetly.

Lucas smiled, there she went using his title, that was all the authorisation he needed. Lucas placed his hands tenderly on her hips and pulled her close so their bodies were touching. Gail let out a long exhale and moved her head to the side to allow him access to her neck. Lucas nipped playfully at her neck, then began to suck it seductively.

Gail pulled away from his grasp and placed her hands on his chest, to create some space. She shook her head in a mock disapproving motion and let her hands trail down to the bottom of his stomach. 'I'm not here for that' she said softly.

Lucas was confused and agitated, he had waited long enough for her and this was killing him. 'Then what are you here for?' he asked more frustrated than he intended.

Gail smiled and leaned her head towards his ear, 'I told you...' she whispered, '...I'm here to thank you' and with that she maneuvered them both so he could lean on his desk, then slowly knelt down and unbuttoned his pants.

Lucas inhaled deeply at this surprising action and let out a low moan when she freed his manhood. Gail looked up at him innocently, then let her tongue slowly lick him from the bottom all the way up to the tip of his manhood. Lucas ran his fingers through her hair, then called out her name in pleasure when she took him carefully in her mouth and began to suck.

Gail was gentle at first; however, she began to go faster and more vigorously when she heard his moans of pleasure. She enjoyed this act, it was the one time she was fully in control of him. The sounds of his moans were making her body go crazy and she had to squeeze her legs together tight, to drown out the yearning feeling between her legs.

When he came she swallowed the evidence, then pulled him gently out of her mouth. Standing up, she straightened her dress and reached for a tissue from the box on his desk; however, Lucas grabbed her and kissed her passionately, not caring about the taste in her mouth. He let his hands travel down under her dress and tried to pull at her thong.

Gail pulled away from the embrace and shook her head. 'No...not now'

Lucas laughed and tried to straighten himself up, 'Let me get this straight, you waltz into my office and do what you just did, then expect me not to retaliate?'

Gail smiled and cupped his chin in her hand. 'I'm asking you not to retaliate yet, you have an election to get to and it's just about to start' she said and kissed his lips softly.

Lucas shook his head and glanced at the clock above his door, which confirmed the election would begin in 15 minutes. 'Alright...' he resigned, '...but I will get you back for this'

Gail pushed him playfully against his desk and turned towards the door. 'Oh I'm counting on it...Sheriff' she said and walked out of the office.

* * *

Caleb sat at a table with Billy and Matt, trying to ignore the stares people were giving them. To be fair, it was not often that a mental patient was allowed to roam free in the town centre. Gail had dropped him and Matt off at her place to get ready, then arranged for Billy to pick them up on his way to the town centre. Caleb thought his cousin was avoiding him; however, she had proved him wrong and was walking towards them holding four ice creams.

Caleb jumped up to help Gail and let her sit between him and Matt. 'Where did you go?' he asked curiously.

'I had a debt to pay' she said and ruffled his hair. 'How are we?' she asked Matt.

Matt laughed, 'Well between the awkward stares and the horrified looks off people, I think we're just fine'

Gail playfully slapped his arm, 'Don't mind them, you're here with us and you might as well enjoy the freedom'

Matt was about the reply; however, a tap on the microphone got everyone's attention and they all turned towards the Mayor. Mayor John was dressed in a smart suit with his wife Mary by his side, they waved at the townspeople and welcomed both candidates to the stage.

Selena approached the table with a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands. 'Am I not invited to this little gathering?' she said to Gail and Matt looked at his friend confused.

Gail smiled, 'It was a last minute thing, the more the merrier though' she said, taking the glass of wine Selena had poured for her. She had ordered Billy to watch Matt if she had to disappear for a while and her friend had assured her that he would not let her down; however, the more people around the table meant less of a chance for Lucas somehow getting Matt alone.

Matt was beginning to get concerned with Gail's casual manner towards Selena and glancing at Caleb, he confirmed the boy felt the same way. 'Since when are you two ladies friends?' he asked and heard a shush from the table next to them.

Gail leaned in close to Matt and squeezed his arm gently. 'Don't be worried' she whispered, 'Miss Coomb's was just helping me with a few things for my article'

They all turned their attention back to the podium just in time to catch Lucas being named as the winner by a landslide of votes and still Sheriff of Trinity. The crowd cheered and the table gave a soft clap. There was never any doubt who would win, it was all just a game and Lucas had proven that his townspeople would not vote against him.

Gail watched the townspeople around her and smiled as they celebrated. Mary placed a hand on her shoulder and she invited her new friend to join the table. Glancing at her watch she noticed it was 7:30pm, only half an hour until the anniversary of her parents deaths. Making her excuses, she hugged Matt and told him she would return shortly. Caleb wanted to follow her; however, she had told him that he had to take care of Matt and it was an important task.

When she managed to break away from the crowd she started to walk towards the old Trinity Guardian building, the spot was deserted as everyone was taking part in the celebrations; therefore, she had the street to herself. Gail crossed the empty road and walked towards the burnt out building, she stroked the Trinity Guardian sign on the wall and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she was plagued with flash backs of her mother screaming, being burned alive.

'You're torturing yourself here Darlin'' Lucas called out from across the street.

Gail wiped the tear from her face as she would not let him perceive her as weak and turned towards him. 'You must have known what was going to happen, you know everything in this town. Why didn't you stop him?' she asked accusingly, stepping to the edge of the pavement but not crossing the road.

Lucas sighed, he would have to tread carefully here. Of course he knew what Gage was planning, the man had no common sense and needed a few hints along the way to ensure the task was completed. Getting Peter Emory out of the way was paramount to enable Lucas to remain unchallenged as Sheriff. He had not meant for Christine to be caught in the crossfire, he had never minded the woman and she had never gotten involved in Peter's smear campaign against him.

Lucas had no conscience and Christine being caught in the fire was just an unfortunate part of an event that needed to happen; however, he could see the pain and anger in Gail's eyes, which indicated that he should feel bad for what happened. 'I don't know everything' he lied, 'What's done is done Darlin'. I don't understand why you would torture yourself by dwelling on the past, when you have a loving little boy waiting for you at the celebration'

Gail shook her head, she was beginning to be able to read Lucas and could tell he was hiding something from her. He had no reason to try to turn this on her and bring up Caleb in an attempt to distract her if she was not getting close to something. She cursed herself for caring for someone so devious and mysterious, a small part of her still wondered whether he had contributed to her parents deaths; however, any evidence of his wrong doing would have disappeared with Gage Temple's suicide.

The faint sound of the carnival caught Gail's ears and Lucas raised his hand out to her, beckoning for her to come to him. She glanced back at the building then crossed the road and took Lucas's hand, he stroked the scar of the cigarette burn on her arm and shook his head. 'You've been through a lot Gail, it's time you let it go'

Gail nodded, 'I'll let it go, just like you're going to let it go that Matt Crower is staying at my place tonight' she said defiantly and stepped away from his grasp.

'Over my dead body Darlin'' Lucas said sternly.

Gail smiled, 'I'm sure that can be arranged, Sheriff' she said sweetly and started to head towards the direction of the celebration.

* * *

Caleb shifted about in his seat impatiently, Gail had been gone for a while and he was sick of babysitting Doctor Matt. The Mayors wife Mary was talking to Matt at this present time; therefore, he decided this was as good a time as any to escape to go and look for his cousin.

Caleb weaved through the celebrating crowd calling Gail's name, when he could not see her he started to look for Lucas thinking his cousin might be trying to get information for a story. It appeared that Lucas was also nowhere to be found either and Caleb was beginning to become frustrated with the situation, all he wanted to do was be there for his cousin and she just kept disappearing on him.

When Caleb had fought his way through the crowd, he spotted Merlyn stood under a dark tree away from everybody. He smiled and ran over to his sister, he had not had much of a chance to talk to her recently. 'What are you doing here Merly?' he asked.

'Just watching' she said, staring out into the crowd of people celebrating. 'It's strange, they say they want change but they vote for him anyway. I don't understand people'

Caleb shrugged, 'I guess they want to stick with what they know'

Merlyn nodded, 'Better the devil you know...' she said and sighed, '...why are you rushing about, shouldn't you be with Matt?'

Caleb stood tall, he could hear the scolding tone his sister was giving off. 'I'm worried about Gail Merly, she keeps disappearin' and I don't like it'

Merlyn smiled, 'It was only a short while ago that you were acting distant because of your birthday Caleb. Everybody has demons, you have to let Gail deal with hers. Besides, the man you've left over there with a bunch of people he doesn't know needs your help more than Gail right now'

Caleb looked past the crowd and saw Matt just staring at his hands. Mary was talking to him; however, it was evident that Matt was uncomfortable. Caleb looked down at his feet embarrassed, he had been told to look after Matt but he had been too concerned with Gail to notice the man was struggling being around the people here.

Merlyn raised her hand to caress Caleb's cheek, he could not feel her touch but he knew her love was there. 'Go to him Caleb'

'OK Merly, I'll see you soon' he said, then rushed back to Matt.

* * *

Gail slowly strolled back towards the faint sound of the crowd, trying to regain her composure. Dark clouds had begun to appear in the sky which indicated she had been gone for far too long. She had not intended on leaving anyone responsible for Matt for this amount of time and glancing at her watch to confirm it was after 9:30pm, she cursed herself for being so selfishly drawn into her own drama.

'Where do you think you're going?' came a voice from behind her.

Gail spun around and sighed in exasperation when she saw Calvin leaning against a shop door, she could do without a confrontation right now. 'To be with my family and you should do the same' she said, turning back towards the faint noise of the celebration.

Calvin pounced forward, grabbed Gail's arm and pulled her into the dark alley at the side of the shop. 'You're gonna brush me off just like that? I suppose you got your story so you don't care about me anymore'

Gail tried to fight free of his grip but felt herself being pinned against the wall, which made her laugh. 'You think I care about any of you stupid people in this town? Oh please, you're a small town loser who cheats on his wife to make yourself feel better. Your indiscretions aren't even interesting enough to go in an article, you're a nobody!' she spat at him.

In hindsight Gail should have taken a softer approach to this situation; however, she was angry and she could feel all of her pent up rage trying to burst out. She did know whether it was her parent's anniversary or the audacity of this average man trying to control her that caused this reaction, but she was pissed.

Calvin was infuriated with her words. He had found out exactly who she was when her article had shown up in the Trinity Guardian and it did not bother him that she was the Gail Emory who had a reputation of being relentless with her stories, as he liked her and had believed she had a genuine interest in him. He had risked a lot breaking away from his family to find her after the results had been read and this rejection was too much.

Calvin tightened his grip on Gail's arm, then tried to force her legs apart with his own. Gail kneed him in the groin, which caused his grip to loosen slightly with the surprising blow and then she laughed at him. 'Is that all you've got' she asked, goading him. 'What a simple man you are, no wonder your own wife doesn't want to satisfy you'

This provocation was the last straw for Calvin, how dare she bring his wife into this. He turned her around forcefully, pushed her against the wall and started to unbuckle his belt with his free hand. 'I'll show you what I've got' he said angrily and unzipped his pants.

Just as she was about to push off the wall and attempt to free herself from the forceful encounter, she felt Calvin's weight being pulled off her and heard a choking sound. Gail turned around quickly to see Lucas choking the man with his bare hand. 'Lucas!' she yelled at him.

'Just a moment Darlin', I've got a bit of business to attend to here' he said in his most charming southern drawl.

Gail froze, she could see Lucas's hand tighten around Calvin's neck and knew she should stop this now; however, part of her felt excited watching the man struggle for air and the ease in which Lucas controlled him. She stood in place for a few moments, watching Calvin claw at the hand clamped around his neck and Lucas effortlessly shrugging away his attempts to save himself.

Gail had never witnessed Lucas committing an illegal act, he was always so careful at covering up any actions that she could use against him. He did not appear to be hiding anything from her now, he just continued squeezing. Gail inhaled deeply and watched curiously as the light slowly began to fade from Calvin's eyes, then a jolt of pain in her head made her move forward.

Lucas stared into Calvin's eyes as the light began to burn out, his twin was in full swing and had taken control as soon as he saw Gail in danger. Once his twin was fully let out, it was hard to pull him back and it did not occur to him that Gail could report on what she was witnessing. Lucas felt his grip tighten and was ready to give one last squeeze to end Calvin right here out in the open, until he felt a soft hand gently move up his wrist and rest on top of the hand situated around Calvin's neck.

Lucas loosened his grip slightly and turned his head to peer at Gail, she was staring into Calvin's eyes curiously and he could feel her hand grip tighten around his own, as though she wanted to experience this moment with him. Lucas smiled devilishly and squeezed hard, whilst watching Gail intently to see how she would react. Gail inhaled deeply then bit her lip and Lucas realised she was turned on. He felt his twin stir at the thought of this action making her excited, Lucas could never have predicted this reaction and went in for one last squeeze to end Calvin Jackson for good with his loves authorisation.

Gail felt as though she was in a haze, this horrific act should have her running; however, here she was holding Lucas's hand as his grip tightened around a mans neck. She could hear Calvin's breath getting more strained and a part of her was intrigued as to what it would be like to feel the man's life drain out of him.

A large jolt of light pierced through her brain and made her come to her senses, she peeled Lucas's hand off Calvin's neck and let Calvin fall to the floor gasping for air.

Lucas stared at Gail confused and she saw a darkness in his eyes that made her take a few steps back. He did not say a word to her, he just stood staring at her like an animal ready to pounce. Gail moved a step closer to Calvin and addressed him carefully, not taking her eyes off Lucas. 'Go to your wife, as far as I'm concerned nothing happened here and if I hear otherwise, reports of all your indiscretions will be on the front page of the Guardian'

Calvin rolled away from the pair, stood up and ran in the direction of his family.

Lucas took a step towards Gail and she slowly circled away, not letting him close the gap between them. 'I need to go and check on Caleb. Matt is staying with us tonight' she said, as a warning that she would not be alone if he attempted to visit her.

Lucas stood tall and addressed her cautiously. 'You run along now Darlin', I'll give Harvard a pass this time' he said, wanting time to consider what had just happened. He watched Gail back away carefully, then rush towards the noise of the crowd.

Lucas glanced around, knowing that something had stopped Gail from letting his twin complete his desired task and spotted a fading white light behind a tree. 'Stay out of my business Merlyn Ann, or there'll be hell to pay' he said to the retreating figure and started to causally walk towards his celebration.

-To be continued-


	6. Chapter 6

Caleb Temple rolled over on the large king size bed and pushed the covers off of his legs. This bedroom was full of light, not like his room at the boarding house and he a was enjoying the peace Gail allowed him to have in her house.

It had been a week since the Sheriff's election and Trinity had instantly returned back to normal, as if nothing had ever happened. He had known the outcome of the election would not affect him; however, it had been fun being part of a campaign.

Caleb got out of the bed, stretched and headed downstairs to get a drink. It appeared that a glass of pure orange juice was already waiting for him on the counter in the kitchen, so he picked it up and followed the faint bark that he heard on the front porch.

When Caleb quietly opened the door, he spotted his cousin wearing a long T Shirt with her legs comfortably up on her porch swing staring out into the street, with a hot drink in her hand. Rocky was attempting to jump up and join her; however, the puppy was failing at his desired task, therefore, Caleb scooped him up and sat next to Gail on the swing. 'Mornin' cous'' he said happily, he really did like it here.

'Morning, how did you sleep?' she asked, not taking her eyes off the quiet street.

Caleb had noticed his cousin had been preoccupied since the election; however, she had made a lot of time to spend with him and had allowed him to stay at her house more often. 'Good I think, you?'

Gail shrugged and took a sip of her coffee, the honest answer was that she had not been sleeping at all since she had witnessed Lucas nearly kill a man. She had not spent any time with him since the incident as she wanted to consider her options and Lucas seemed to have respected her wishes, although she was met with a fresh bouquet of flowers each morning to be reminded of him. 'Never mind about me' she said in an unintentional irritable tone, 'I did you a packed lunch and I'll drop you off at school in half an hour'

Caleb regarded his cousin carefully, he was concerned about her. She looked tired all the time and she was very snappish, which was unusual as she was normally pleasant even if she was annoyed. He decided to get up, take Rocky with him and start getting ready, to ensure he did not give her any reason to be angry with him and he left her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Lucas paced up and down on his back porch, waiting for his morning newspaper to be delivered. He was aware that Gail had been tasked with writing a follow up article after the election by the Editor of the Guardian and he was intrigued as to what she was going to report on; however, her new article had not appeared in the newspaper so far.

He had decided to give Gail some space after the election celebration and what she witnessed him do to Calvin. She had not turned him in to Ben or any of his other subordinates, which was interesting as she had always said she would testify against him should the chance arise.

Lucas thought back to that night and how Gail had caressed the hand that was choking Calvin, he had not been able to prevent his twin from taking control of the situation and had not considered how Gail would react. Thinking back to that night and how he had watched her when he tightened his grip around the mans throat caused his manhood to harden. His love was intrigued and turned on, he was sure of it. She should have been scared or angry with him; however, her hand had closed around his tightly to indicate that she wanted him to complete the action and if Merlyn had not interfered who knows what would have happened next.

The sound of his gate opening brought him out of his thoughts and he gave his most pleasant smile for the paper boy, then held out his hand for the boy to throw the newspaper up to him. The boy obediently tossed the newspaper up and Lucas caught it effortlessly, 'Atta boy...' he called, '...you should try out for the football team'

The boy smiled and waved at Lucas as he left. Lucas opened the newspaper and scanned through to see if his love had written anything; however, there was no article by Gail Emory to be found. He sighed, sat down on his porch chair and threw the newspaper down on the table in frustration.

* * *

Gail sat patiently with a large latte and a green tea, waiting for Ben to meet her in their usual spot at the coffee shop. She had dropped Caleb off at school, then took a drive to the hospital to visit Billy before his shift started and now she was ready for this task to be completed so she could plan her day.

After her other story was published Mark, the Editor of the Trinity Guardian, had asked her to do a follow up article about life after the Sheriff's election and how it had affected the town. Gail had tried to write it based on views of the townspeople; however, she knew she would probably have to get an interview from both Calvin and Lucas at some point.

She had put the story off for longer than she should have already and would need to consider how she was going to go forward with it. On top of that, it was time for Matt's day leave and she had no motivation to deal with anything today.

Ben placed a hand on her shoulder and it made her jump slightly, 'Sorry Gail, I called your name when I got out of the car but you mustn't have heard me. Is everything OK?'

'No' she laughed and took a sip of her tea.

Ben sat down and picked up his coffee, he did not usually drink lattes as he liked his coffee strong; however, he could tell Gail was not in a good mood so he would make do with what she had gotten him. 'Anything I can help with?' he asked, trying to assist his friend.

Gail shook her head and placed a hand on Ben's arm. 'Don't worry about me, I'm just being dramatic. I've still not written my story and I've got to figure out what I'm doing with Matt today.

Ben felt for Gail, she was trying to juggle looking after Caleb and Matt in addition to attempting to kick start her career. She had been acting strange since the election and seemed to be procrastinating when it came to the follow up article she had agreed to write. 'I'll tell you what, if you can swing it with Lucas I can pick up Matt at lunch time and take him for a while. I'm meeting Billy for lunch and it could do Matt some good spending time with other people if you're determined to try to get him sane again'

Gail smiled, Ben had no idea how great he was. This was a genuine nice guy who would do anything to help you if he could, if he had more confidence in himself he could have excelled further in life. She considered his offer carefully, Matt was her responsibility; however, if she did not focus on this story and securing a stable job she would be of no help to him or Caleb. 'It's really nice of you to offer Ben, but I like to get him out of that place early and I don't want to impose on you'

Ben nodded, it would be awkward being alone with Matt after he was the one that escorted him to Juniper House in the first place; however, Gail clearly needed some assistance and he could convince Billy to try and take a longer lunch if he was struggling. 'It's no bother Gail and I won't take no for an answer. If Lucas lets me patrol on my own I can swing by and grab Matt early. You're more likely to convince Lucas to agree to this than I am though' he said and took a large sip of his coffee.

Gail was avoiding the subject of Lucas; however, Ben had mentioned him twice now and it was ignorant to ignore her friend when he was trying to help. She got a knot in her stomach at the thought of being alone with Lucas, she would need to address what happened at some point; however, she did not know where to begin. Gail should have told Ben what Lucas had done but she could not, in fact she had threatened Calvin into keeping his mouth shut which made her an accessory to the act in a way.

Ever since she came to Trinity, she had been searching for something to use against Lucas and now that she was a witness to a crime, she did not know what to do. Gail should be mad or scared but she wasn't, part of her got aroused at night when she thought back to what she had seen and she had to resist the urge to pleasure herself.

Gail needed to decide once and for all what she wanted from Lucas, then she could continue on with her life; however, she needed to focus on getting the article she had promised Mark written first.

Gail downed the rest of her green tea and stood up, 'OK, let's get this over with' she said picking up her bag and nodding towards Ben. 'Don't bother going in, just start your patrol. I'll deal with Lucas'

Ben smiled as she walked towards the Sheriff's Station, that's the Gail he knew.

* * *

Lucas sat behind his desk staring at his Sheriff of the Year plague and squeezing a stress ball. Lucas did not get stressed; however, the squeezing sensation helped clear his mind.

He had just gotten off the telephone after a conversation with Gail, in which she had informed him that she would be stopping by the office for an interview; therefore, he had to make himself available at 2:00pm. She also mentioned that his Deputy would be patrolling alone today, then picking Matt Crower up for her.

Lucas kept his cool, even though it was not in his nature to be told what to do and gave her short agreeable answers. He should be mad that she had dictated to him about Ben and his schedule; however, he had become hard instantly at the sound of her voice on the other end of the telephone and was distracted by the long intakes of breath she was taking, which he knew were to control her urges.

He got up from his desk and paced for a moment. He had agreed to leave Ben alone as she had requested, but he was in a mischievous mood after the telephone conversation and would not wait around in his office all day to see her.

* * *

Gail stood outside Jackson's Pharmaceuticals trying to will herself to go in. She had visited Calvin's wife for her take on the election for her follow up article, the woman was so pleased with the kind words she had published about her son that she gave permission for Gail to approach the rest of the family.

She had not seen Calvin since the incident and had no idea what to say to him. She could not feel bad for the man as he had attempted to rape her when he was not getting what he wanted; however, she did not need Lucas to get involved and make the situation worse.

Gail was a professional and told herself that she needed to man up and get this over with. She took one last deep breath and went to open the door; however, she was grabbed from behind and pulled into the alley leading to the back of the store. Gail struggled and lashed out until she heard the familiar smooth voice.

'Calm down Gail'' Lucas said softly, leaning close to her ear then turning her around to face him.

Gail tried to pull free of the grip Lucas had on her arms; however, her body seemed to be working against her and she could not muster up enough strength to break free. 'What are you doing? I'm working'

Lucas stared into her eyes seductively, then knelt down. He ran his hands up her legs and under her short skirt, then pulled her thong down slowly. 'I'm retaliatin' Darlin'' he said and moved his head under her skirt so he could kiss her thighs.

Gail was in shock, she had not been alone with Lucas all week and now here he was. She tried to pull back out of his grasp; however, her body yearned for him and would not allow her to move. When she felt him nip at the spot between her legs, she had to reach back and steady herself on the alley wall. 'Lucas not here! It's day time and people will see us' she said, panting at the feel of his tongue softly licking her.

Lucas ran his nose over her sweet spot and blew lightly, he had to hold her hips firmly to ensure she stayed in the right position for him. 'You started this when you came to my office before the election, it's time for pay back' he said and pushed his tongue inside her.

Gail bit her bottom lip hard to stop from calling his name, his tongue inside her felt exquisite and all worry about them being caught disappeared. She leaned against the wall then reached down to his head under her dress. She ran her fingers through his hair and moaned in acceptance of the act he was performing.

Lucas smiled and continued to revel in the taste of her. He made patterns with his tongue inside her, then pulled it out and nipped at her gently with his teeth. He wanted to watch her so he pushed three fingers inside her forcefully and watched as she pulled her head back in pleasure. He had intended on making her come with his tongue; however, he had not expected to be met with acceptance and wanted to kiss her. Lucas stood up, careful not to stop the rhythm of his fingers and forced his lips on hers passionately.

Gail pulled him closer and nipped at his lips with her teeth. 'You have no conscience about anything' she panted, feeling herself ready to explode.

Lucas smiled 'Conscience is just a fear of getting caught Miss Emory' he whispered seductively in her ear and bit her neck playfully.

Gail dug her nails into Lucas's back as her climax hit her and Lucas forced his lips onto hers to stifle her yell. They continued to kiss passionately for a moment, then Gail gently push him away. She shook her head as she pulled her thong back up and smoothed down her skirt. 'We're even, now let me work' she said with a warning look.

Lucas held up his hands up in a surrendering gesture and smiled triumphantly as Gail walked out of the alley.

* * *

Caleb sat with Matt in a quiet spot off the pier, watching the calmness of the water. Ben had picked Caleb up from school with Matt in the front seat of the car and told him that it was his turn to keep Matt occupied until Gail found them. Ben had kindly dropped them off at the pier and gave Caleb $10.00, to get him and Matt an ice cream, then drove towards the Sheriff's Station.

Matt had questioned Caleb about Gail and how she was doing after the anniversary of her parents death, it was evident that they were both worried about her and had noticed the change in her behaviour.

'She's fine I guess' he told Matt, 'I've been staying with her for a few nights and she seems happy with my company'

Matt smiled, it was good knowing Gail was starting to take more responsibility for Caleb. The boy needed stability and not a part time carer, it had worked out well with Miss Holt and the boarding house; however, Matt believed Caleb required the support of family to enable him to resist the will of Lucas Buck.

'Oh I'd say he has all the family support he requires' Lucas said appearing next to Caleb, 'What are you doing on your own with our resident mental patient son?' he asked unimpressed.

'Don't answer that' Matt said to Caleb and stood up defensively. This was the first time he had been close to Lucas without Gail present and he could feel his blood begin to boil. He had promised Gail he would be good around other people; however, this man was the epitome of evil and he still had dreams about how he mentally tortured him in Juniper.

Lucas smiled, this was perfect. All he needed now was Harvard to lose control and hit him, then he would have a reason to lock him up for good. 'Was I talkin' to you? I'm surprised Gail let you off her leash, I'll have to teach her a lesson later about the art of control'

Matt shook his head and clenched his fists, 'I doubt she'd let you teach her anything Sheriff'

Lucas pushed past a wary Caleb and laughed, 'Oh you'd be surprised at how many hands on lessons we've gotten through in our late night encounters' he whispered, squaring up to Matt. 'I thought Selena was good, but Gail's sweet spot is something else'

Caleb did not know what to do, Lucas had whispered something that he could not hear and Matt looked like he was about to pounce on the man. Without thinking he grabbed Lucas's arm, then had to take a step back with the warning look Lucas gave him.

'What are you doing here alone with him?' he asked again sternly.

'He's not alone Buck' Billy said coming behind Matt and placing a firm hand on his shoulder, to prevent Matt from moving any closer to Lucas. Luckily he had decided to come for a stroll on the pier after his shift, otherwise it looked like Matt would have gotten himself locked up for assaulting an officer of the law.

Lucas shook his head, he had been so close. 'You're just in time Doc, I think this man needs to cool down' he said looking towards Matt.

Billy stepped in front of Matt, knowing Gail would be pissed if he reacted to Lucas's games. 'I can take it from here, why don't you go do some actual police work?' he said and signalled for Caleb to come to him.

Lucas laughed and walked around the group. 'Give my regards to your cousin son' he called as he past Matt and smiled when the man had to be held back again by Billy.

* * *

Gail stared at the computer screen and made the final adjustments to the end her article. She had not spoken to Lucas or Calvin regarding the election, she had chosen to obtain comments from people around them like Carter and Ben to paint a factual picture of how the results had affected everybody. Considering it was a mundane thing to report on, she was happy with the end result and was ready to Email it to Mark for his approval.

Now that this task was completed, she could focus on herself and decided drive to the pier to meet up with Caleb and Matt. She had received a text message from Billy informing her that there had been an incident with Lucas and Matt; however, he had diffused the situation. The last thing she needed was Matt doing anything to Lucas, as it would undermine all her hard work and would give Lucas an excuse to suspend his day leave.

Gail parked her car just before the pier and headed to the usual spot that she came to with Caleb, when they wanted some peace and quiet. She spotted Billy and Caleb together; however, Matt was stood away from them staring into the water. Gail sighed, waved at Caleb and signalled for him to stay with Billy for a moment. When she reached Matt she put a hand gently on his shoulder but he shrugged it off.

Gail looked at her friend bemused, then moved in front of him to block his vision of the water. 'Nice to see you too' she said sarcastically.

'I hear it's nice for you to see Lucas Buck as well' Matt spat out at her and stepped to the side, to continue staring into the river.

Gail was confused with the comment and glanced at Billy, who just shrugged at her. She went to reach for Matt's arm but he pulled away sharply. 'What's the matter with you?' she asked, annoyed at this childish behaviour.

Matt bit his lip to stop from shouting at her. He was angry that he had not seriously considered the thought of Gail being with Lucas, especially when she had managed to arrange these day trips. He had been stupid and felt as though his only real friend had betrayed him. 'I don't want to talk about this around Caleb' he said angrily.

Gail shook her head, she did not have the patience for this. 'Caleb...' she called, turning towards her cousin and Billy. '...can you go get me an ice cream please?'

Caleb nodded obediently, 'Sure, what kind?' he asked and produced the change from the $10.00 Ben had given him.

'Surprise me and take your time'

Caleb smiled and started to head to the ice cream stall that was further down the pier.

'OK, spit it out' she said, not caring that Billy was still within ear shot.

Matt looked at the retreating figure of Caleb, then turned towards Gail. 'So, you have late night visits from Lucas Buck?' he asked.

Billy moved closer, he had previously wanted to ask his friend about her apparent relationship with Lucas; however, he knew she would avoid the subject. It looked like Matt was asking the questions for him and he wanted to know the answers.

Gail bit her lip in frustration, she could kill Lucas for not keeping his mouth shut. Lucas knew better than to gossip about their relationship, so this might not be as bad as it seemed. 'Not recently no' she said, the encounter earlier today did not take place at night so she chose to ignore it.

Matt laughed, he knew she would attempt to be evasive. 'So previously?' he nodded, not needing an answer. 'OK, did you do something so I could be let out on day leave? I want a straight answer'

Gail shook her head when she spotted that Billy had moved closer to them, she was a private person and did not believe her relationship with Lucas was anyone's business but theirs; however, her friend had asked her a direct question and she was not going to lie. 'I didn't do anything I wasn't doing anyway Matt. Would you have preferred me to leave you there and not try to get you out?'

Matt ignored her question and only focused on part of her answer. 'Oh, so you were doing it anyway? Brilliant. How long have you been doing what your doing?'

Gail sighed, this was ridiculous. She had not fully decided what she wanted from Lucas, but she was having to answer questions about it from her friend. 'On and off...what does it matter?'

Billy could sense Matt's anger and he stepped closer, ready to help Gail if it was needed. He was curious about his friends relationship with Lucas Buck and what she saw in him; however, he knew better than to push the subject and respected her decision, like she respected his when she found out he was with Selena again.

Matt took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, but it was not working. 'On and off with Lucas Buck, the same man who we both suspected of murder? The man who manipulates everything to his will and locked me up in Juniper House? For god's sake Gail what were you thinking? I thought you had more sense than this' he yelled, louder than he had intended.

That was the last straw, Gail would not be judged by anybody let alone Matt. 'What was I thinking? You selfishly decided to take a shot at the man and left us! I had nobody but a 10 year old boy who expected me to make everything right, but I couldn't bring you back. So what if I wanted to let my hair down and get a release of the pent up stresses of the damn situation. He was there...always there, but you weren't. How dare you judge me!' she snapped and walked a few steps away to pull back her anger.

Matt stood in silence for a moment and considered her words. He watched as Billy walked up to Gail and placed an affectionate hand on her shoulder to comfort her, like he used to do. He cursed himself for committing an act which resulted in Lucas finding a way in with his only true friend. He himself had been stupid, he knew Gail's opinion of Lucas had changed once she found out he had not killed her parents and he should have been around to help her repel his charm.

Gail smiled at Billy, to confirm she was alright and glanced at Matt. The weight of her words had clearly made him pause and it had allowed Gail time to regain her composure. She walked up to Matt, placed a reassuring hand on his arm and smiled when he did not push it off. 'Whatever is going on with me and Lucas does not affect you. I'm a big girl and I know what I'm doing'

'The man is evil' Matt resigned.

'The man is not evil to me and he wouldn't hurt me, that's all that should matter to you right now'

Matt sighed, he did not want to accept that Gail could be involved with such a man as Lucas Buck; however, at the moment he had no choice. 'Fine, just keep whatever it is you have away from me' he said and stroked Gail's hand.

* * *

Lucas sat on his back porch sipping a glass of red wine, admiring the stars in the sky and reflecting on the happenings of the day. He used to be fascinated by astronomy when he was younger; however, the interest seemed to fade when he started to get involved with girls. He should make more time for it, he imagined it was something Caleb would like and it could be a hobby that they both shared.

All in all his day had not been half bad, he had nearly provoked Harvard into a bad reaction against him and he had managed to get Gail back for the stunt she had pulled before the election. It may have only been a short exchange; however, it was a start and she had not pushed him away as he had initially expected.

Lucas touched his lips with his thumb when he thought back to their encounter and the taste of her in his mouth. His body was calling for him to go to her, but he would not. Gail still did not appear to have come to terms with what had happened at the election celebration and he needed her to decide what she was going to do with what she had witnessed. Once she had committed herself to a decision on what she wanted, he could to start to convince her to fully bend to his will.

* * *

Gail tossed and turned in her bed before throwing off her sheets in frustration. She had returned Matt to Juniper House at around 9:30pm, later than the Head Doctor had expected and then brought Caleb home with her.

There had been little conversation with her cousin on the way home and she had sent him straight to bed as it was past his curfew. She stayed up for an hour then resorted to heading off to bed herself and tried to push her concerns for Matt out of her head.

Gail sat up and looked at the clock, it was just before midnight. She cursed at herself out loud for not being able to sleep, then shushed herself for nearly waking Rocky up. This was ridiculous, her mind was plagued with thoughts of what happened at the election celebration and her friends reaction to her being with Lucas. Matt had said Lucas was evil and she could not deny that, especially when she had witnessed the ease in which he could kill a man.

Gail was conflicted, a part of her was screaming that she should report what she saw; however, the dark part of her which used to surface when she was threatened was intrigued and excited by his actions. The fact that she had not reported him to Ben was worrying her, she had always prided herself of being good and just but she was beginning to doubt that now.

She could not go on being this conflicted so she got out of bed, gently picked Rocky up and quietly moved him to Caleb's room upstairs. She written a note informing Caleb she had gone out early but hoped to be back to drive him to school and left Ben's number in case she did not make it back in time. Grabbing her bag, she headed to her car in her pyjama shorts, a small strapped top and sandals then drove towards Lucas's house.

When she pulled up at the extravagant mansion, most lights were off apart from the living room. Lucas was not one for going to sleep early, so she was not surprised he was still awake after midnight. Gail quietly exited her car, headed towards the front door and reached for the doorbell; however, the door swung slowly open for her before she had a chance to use the bell. She still hated this house, it made her feel uneasy and restless, but this conversation was best had in his domain rather than hers.

Gail entered the house and opened the glass door which led to the main entrance hall. It was difficult not to admire the sheer vastness and antique feel of the place, she could not even begin to comprehend how Lucas managed to keep everything as well preserved as it was. She gave herself a mental shake to brush off her distraction and continued moving through the hall, then into the study. Gail did not like this room, with the stuffed raven which seemed to be watching her every move. She knew this way of thinking was childish; however, she could not shake the feeling of being watched when she was in here.

Gail continued on into the living room, giving the raven a suspicious look as she past and spotted Lucas sat on the couch with a book in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other. He usually greeted her when she entered his home; however, he did not move, which indicated he was unaware of her presence. Gail put her fingers on her lips playfully and decided to creep up on him.

Lucas turned the page of the occult book he was reading and took a sip of his wine, then placed the glass on his side table. He was fully aware of Gail's presence and smiled at the thought of her believing she could surprise him in his own home. When she crept close behind him he threw the book down, grabbed her and pulled her down onto the couch in a quick movement.

Gail struggled slightly in his grasp and situated herself on top so she was straddling him. 'You knew I was here the whole time?' she asked in mock disappointment.

'I've got eyes in the back of my head Darlin'' he said sarcastically, casually placing his hands on her hips. 'So, what brings you to my humble abode for a late night visit? Not that I'm complainin''

Gail stopped playing around and became serious, 'You told Matt about our late night visits without asking?'

Lucas maneuvered himself so he was sat up properly with Gail straddling him. 'It may have slipped out' he said, pleased that it had bothered Harvard so much.

'You had no right' Gail said, more sternly that she had intended.

'I had every right Darlin', or are you ashamed of what we have?' he asked, sensing the conflicted feelings inside her.

Gail stared at Lucas for a moment, then pushed off him and took his glass of wine. She paced the room for a moment then took a large sip of the wine. 'We don't know what we have' she said turning to face him, 'that's what I'm here to discuss'

Lucas considered her words, then stood up and walked closer to her. 'I know what we have Gail, it's you that needs to decide where you stand with it'

Gail took a deep breath as he came close, she needed to resist his charm long enough to get out what she came here to say. 'You nearly killed a man in front of me' she said, deciding not to beat around the bush any longer.

Lucas shrugged, 'And you seemed intrigued by my actions Darlin'' he said, wanting to see her reaction to the truth of the situation.

Gail took a step back, she had not expected the comment and he was not wrong. Deep down she knew Matt was right about Lucas being bad, she now had proof and she still had not left. Gail shook her head and turned towards the door, she could not handle this and needed time to think.

'So that's it, you're running from the truth like you've done your whole life about your parents?' Lucas spat out at her. This feeling was new to him, he did not want her to go and could not stop himself from lashing out at her.

Gail stopped and turned towards him, how dare he use her parents. 'I'm not running from the truth Lucas, I need to think'

'You don't need to think Darlin'' he said, regaining some control, 'Just talk to me, tell me what you want'

Gail sighed and shook her head, 'I want to remain good like I always have been and I don't want to be corrupted by you. This is bad...you're bad and I should get away'

Lucas approached Gail and placed his hands on her hips, then gently kissed her neck. 'How can something so bad feel so good?' he whispered in her ear and smiled when she leaned into him.

Gail stood still for a moment and begged her body not to betray her; however, it was no use. She was drawn to him and she could not control herself when she was around him. She ran her hands up his chest, then slowly down to his waist. He nipped playfully at her neck and moved her thin straps down her arms, to allow him access to her chest. Gail inhaled deeply when he ran his lips over her shoulders and down to the top of her breasts, 'Wait...' she said, in an attempt to stop herself from giving in completely.

Lucas pulled away from her chest momentarily and cupped her chin in his hand, so he could gaze into her eyes. 'You're good Darlin', this is good. Who cares what other people think... I want you and you want me, it's time you accepted this'

Gail looked into Lucas's eyes, what he really meant was she needed to accept him the way he was. If he could effortlessly squeeze the life out of Calvin without feeling remorse, he could do just about anything to anyone. How could she remain untouched by his darkness if she was so mesmerised by his actions? The thought of her hand over his when it tightened around Calvin's neck caused a stir in her stomach and she could feel the familiar heat rising from between her legs.

Lucas let his hands trail down her body and rest at the top of her shorts, he could sense that she was becoming aroused and this was his opening. 'You're curious Gail...it's in your nature, that doesn't mean your going to be corrupted. I'll try and tone down certain things for you, but I can't change who I am' he whispered in her ear, then kissed her neck softly.

Gail closed her eyes, she could never expect him to change just like she would never change for anyone. He was who he was and she either accepted him or walked away. As if trying to persuade her, Lucas pushed her shorts down and ran his thumb gently over the spot between her legs. She bit her lip to stifle her moan and cursed him for knowing how to turn her body against her.

'I always know what you like Darlin'' he whispered again softly in her ear and Gail dug her nails into his stomach to show she knew exactly what he liked.

Gail pushed him away slightly, to allow herself access to his shirt and pulled it open. She ran her hands up from his stomach to his chest and allowed his thick caramel blonde chest hair to get tangled in her finger tips, then clawed at his chest with her nails. She smiled when she heard Lucas inhale deeply and exhaled softly when she felt his fingers playing between her legs.

Lucas nipped at her neck again and let his free hand push her shorts down. 'So, what's your decision Darlin'?'

'Well I'm not running am I Sheriff?' she panted and felt his triumphant grin on her neck. 'Don't be so smug, if you dare talk about us to Matt again it's over' she said trying to sound stern.

Lucas lifted his head from her neck and looked seductively into her eyes, leaving Harvard alone was worth it if Gail fully gave herself over to him. 'I'll leave your little mental patient alone, providing you ensure that him being around does not affect anything with me'

Gail nodded, that was fair. 'Deal' she said, then stepped out of her shorts and pushed him back towards the couch. Not taking her eyes off him, she unbuttoned his pants and watched as Lucas stepped out of them, then pushed him onto the couch and straddled him.

Lucas placed his hands on Gail's bare hips, then gently moved them up underneath her vest and to her breasts. He squeezed her breasts slightly and let his thumb circle over her nipple, then raised the vest over her head and flung it onto the floor. 'I don't think you'll be needing that' he said and pulled her close for a kiss.

Gail allowed Lucas to kiss her forcefully and ran her hands down his chest to his hard manhood. It had been several weeks since she had allowed him full access to her and it was evident from how hard he was already that he yearned for her, just like her body yearned for him. Gail pulled away from their embrace, hovered over his manhood to tease him, then sat down into him and pushed him deep inside her. They both let out a loud moan when they became intertwined.

Lucas resisted the urge to grab her and throw her down so he could take her forcefully, instead he stroked Gail's back softly while she moved up and down. Being inside her felt exquisite and he did not want to rush.

Gail let her hands run down his chest and clawed at him gently, the feeling of him inside her was almost too much and she gripped onto his shoulders so she could move faster. Lucas tried to slow her down by holding her hips; however, she shook her head. 'I want you hard' she panted and grabbed his back when he roll her over so he was on top.

'I was going for something different...' he panted, '...but if that's what you want...' he said and started pounding in and out of her.

Gail yelled out in ecstasy as she came and heard Lucas come a moment after. 'That was too easy' he said and spun her around so she was on all fours on the couch, 'I'm not letting you get off that easy after making me wait nearly a month for you'

Gail peered up at him with an innocent glance, 'Come on Sheriff, are we talking or are we fucking?' she asked sweetly, knowing the foul language would drive him crazy.

Before he could stop himself, Lucas spanked her hard and smiled devilishly. 'I won't tolerate that kind of language in my house Darlin''

Gail bit her lip to stop from cursing due to the sharp pain on her behind. 'Is that all you got?' she asked breathlessly, she did not normally play like this but something deep down inside was calling for his bad side.

Lucas shook his head in disbelieve, was she really goading him? He liked this side of her, he had never experienced it before and it was almost as though she wanted to be punished. He was no stranger to rough sex and if that's what she wanted, that's what he would give her. Lucas pulled her legs apart and forcefully pushed inside her, then began pounding.

Gail inhaled deeply at the force in which he had entered her and pushed her head into a cushion to stop from yelling out in pain. When the initial shock wore off, the pleasure hit her fully and she called out his name.

Lucas pulled her head roughly back by her hair and bit her shoulder hard, piercing her skin. He revelled in the taste of her blood in his mouth and began nipping at her neck. 'Is this how you want it Miss Emory?' he asked panting.

'Don't stop' she panted back at him. Gail could not control her moans, he was hurting her; however, the burst of pleasure that was mixed in with the pain was something she had never experienced before. Even when he took her forcefully previously, he was careful not to hurt her but this time he did not seem to be holding back at all.

As he pounded into her harder and harder, she felt herself ready to explode. Lucas leaned down, reached for her breast and squeezed hard while biting her neck. This was all Gail could take and she yelled out his name as she came, then felt him come inside of her.

Lucas held his position inside her for a moment tenderly licking the bite marks on her shoulder and neck, then gently pulled out of her. Gail felt battered and could barely move, but managed to reach for a tissue from the table beside the couch and wipe away the remnants of him. Lucas pulled her onto his knee and laid back, so she lay comfortable on his chest. 'Was that too much?' he asked concerned, as he kissed her cheek.

Gail laughed, 'I think that was just enough' she said turning her head towards him to allow him to kiss her lips.

Lucas reached for a throw that was still in place on the back of the couch and pulled it around Gail's naked body. 'So, your decision is made. I want to hear you say it.'

Gail shook her head in exasperation. It was not enough that she had not run away, he had to make her say it out loud. 'I accept you and this relationship. Happy now?'

Lucas smiled, that's all he needed. 'Ecstatic' he said sarcastically and nuzzled his nose into her neck, then began kissing it softly.

Gail let him kiss her neck for a few moments then used all her strength to push herself up, picked up her shorts and vest then began to dress.

Lucas sat up confused, 'Where do you think you're going?'

'Unlike you, I have an 11 year old asleep in my spare bedroom and I should be there when he wakes up' she said, looking for her sandals.

Lucas stood up, still naked and sweaty from their previous acts. 'I'll come with you' he said glancing for his pants.

Gail shook her head, walked up to him and gently stroked his manhood which instantly made him become hard. 'Not a chance...' she whispered in his ear and began to play with him, '...but don't forget about me when I'm gone' she said, smiling at his low moans of pleasure. She continued playing until she felt his release in her hand, then reached for a tissue to clean herself and placed a soft kiss on his lips before she left.

Lucas was still panting as he watched Gail walk away from him and out of his house. If it was not for Caleb staying at her place, he would have met her at her house and continued this little game they had started; however, he would leave her be and allow her to return to his son.

He had gained her full acceptance and that is all that he required for now.

-The end-


End file.
